The social imperative in sustainable urban development

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine social sustainability effectiveness of eco-cities through the case of Masdar City's strategy for urban sustainability in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Design/methodology/approach -Using a case study approach, the paper is an exploratory, qualitative analysis, which investigates the social, environmental and economic performance of Masdar City, a purported carbon-neutral, zero-waste urban development.Findings -Though Masdar City substantively contributes to innovation in sustainable urban development within environmental and economic contexts and has been effective in capital circulation in green technology markets, the impetus as a commercially driven enterprise is most evident. Successful sustainable urban development requires greater consideration for the social imperative. Practical implications -Eco-city mega-projects, such as Masdar City, have the potential to fuse achievements in innovation, technology and economic enterprise with the social imperative of functional urban habitats. Originality/value -Eco-cities are of increasing interest given the growing need for sustainable, energy-efficient living. This paper contributes through a novel case study, exploring how the concept of the eco-city has been developed and understood in the Masdar City context and discusses successes and deficits in its strategic implementation.

Data-Driven Smart Eco-Cities of the Future: An Empirically Informed Integrated Model for Strategic Sustainable Urban Development

“…Consequently, recent research within eco-urbanism has started to focus on the three dimensions of sustainability in terms of benefits and shortcomings (e.g. Bibri, 2020a;Bibri & Krogstie, 2020a;Khan et al, 2020;Randeree & Ahmed, 2019). This implies that the ecocity continues to strive toward reaching the status of urban sustainability by reducing material use, lowering energy consumption, mitigating pollution, and minimizing waste, as well as improving social equity, well-being, and the quality of life.…”

The underlying components of data-driven smart sustainable cities of the future: a case study approach to an applied theoretical framework

“…They aim to deliver more efficient land use, improve green energy systems, and build resilient and adaptable urban communities. Recent research within eco-urbanism tends to focus on the three dimensions of sustainability in terms of benefits and shortcomings (e.g., [11,32,40,54]). This pertains to the integrated models for urban development, which explore the development of SIDs as a model for high-density, high-liveability future cities [10][11][12].…”

A case study on the barriers towards achieving sustainable smart city for Abu Dhabi

“…Masdar City, a 600-ha development in Abu Dhabi, aims to provide residents with a complete living environment while conserving up to 60% of its waste production, 40% of its power, and 70% of its water. The city is anticipated to assist Abu Dhabi in achieving its 2050 objectives [25]. Since the Shams solar power plant opened in 2013, Masdar has been producing 100 MW of concentrated solar energy, increasing renewable energy output by 449% in 2014.…”