A fundamental debate in Abu Dhabi: Sustainable urban transformation vs fast urbanization

In an unstable world economy, Abu Dhabi stands out as an enthusiastic employer of sustainability policies (www.upc.gov.ae), and a potential model for sustainable urban growth. The emirate of Abu Dhabi, with a population of 2,908,173 (Statistics Centre, Abu Dhabi 2016) rests atop some 9.6% of the world’s proven oil reserves (OPEC, 2010), as well as 5.8% of the world’s gas reserves. As a result of this resource wealth, the Emirate has for quite some time boasted one of the highest per capita GDP in the world, some $61,000 (DPE, 2014).

Guided by Vancouver’s ‘Larry Beasley’, the rich emirate is using one of North America’s top urbanists to shape development. City plans are being adopted that look 20 years or more into the future. An example is Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 ( and its later update), an urban structure framework plan devised under guidance of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi in 2006-2007 to guide the urban growth of Abu Dhabi – the population of which is estimated to increase from 1.2 to 3.1 million by the year 2030 (Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan, 2007). The plan’s policies are grounded in four basic elements (‘pillars’) of sustainability; the natural environment, economic development, social amenity and cultural heritage.

In particular, the key directions of the plan include: sustainability; conservation of the unique environment; balancing human scale within an evolving culture and identity as an Arab city with 21st century opportunities; excellence in quality development and liveability; and connectivity through a multi layered transportation network (Abu Dhabi 2030 plan, 2007).

Within this context, the ‘Masdar City’ initiative is a smaller scale but significant intervention at creating the sustainable urban form (Basantani, 2008; Foster and Partners, 2008). Masdar city has been widely criticized as being based on a general Western universal-design approach, which might not be applicable to the Abu Dhabi context and culture. Other criticisms relate to the high cost, problems of housing typology patterns to fit multi-cultural residents, isolating Emirati residential quarters, and the conflict represented by the proposed 40,000 commuters comprising the labor force of low-income groups with the basic principles of sustainability (DOT, 2013). There is a danger that this model will lead to an Eco-theme park, functioning in a similar way to carbon offset schemes, salving the conscience and freeing the rest of the city to continue business-as-usual development. Sustainable urban forms need to pervade the whole environment, and not simply the exemplars that are separated from everyday reality.

The publishing of the ‘Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan’ has opened a fundamental debate about the relationship between rapid urbanization, fueled by economic growth, and the delivery of more sustainable urban form. Embedded in this debate, challenges about local identity and cultural values that influence the sustainability of urban form, including tradition, religion, historical habits language barriers, and personal aspirations for a new life, are raised as important factors facing urban transformation and rapid urbanization (Al-Thawwad, 2008).

Actions that planners and designers of the built environment should take in their professional role are not clear, both in the framework of sustainable development and the socio-cultural context of developing countries.

Accordingly, the task that urgently needs to be addressed is to understand the mechanisms of the sustainable urban transformation process.