Masdar City as a Prototype for Eco-Cities

This paper examines the Emirati attempts to revolutionize how urban development is conceptualized and operationalized through its Masdar City project. It argues that although incomplete, the city has become an ecologically friendly space that facilitates technological, economic, social, and educational development. Economic, carbon, and policy issues, however, have affected the completion and full functioning of the City. As a possible prototype for eco-cities, location, space, and oil influence distinguish the United Arab Emirates from a lot of countries. Masdar City's structural design, solar energy techniques, and transportation plans, however, are features that can be modeled to build other eco-cities. The United Arab Emirates can therefore use this venture as a soft power tool as Masdar City's appeal makes it more culturally, technologically, and environmentally attractive to the rest of the world.