Abu dhabi efforts in facing global warming challenges through urban planning

Abstract

During the past few decades there has been a growing interest from governments, politicians, decision makers, urban planners and engineers to create sustainable communities planned as ideal built environments that provide communities with the highest quality of life style and standards with the lowest carbon footprint within a feasibly economic envelope. This interest is stirred from the recognition of the world's resources decreasing in a way that the supplies do not match the demand as populations grow and industry spreads. Recent studies are referring to sustainable cities holding the key to climate change. The first of these developments or cities will be a catalyst for future change in understanding the creative science of urban planning. We acknowledge that cities are the outputs of political, economic, geographic and climatic, social and culture inputs. The answers revealed from building sustainable developments such as Masdar city in Abu Dhabi will be the data for forming the basis of future government policies for all developments in the region with similar circumstances and climate and social conditions. © 2011 WIT Press.