Author(s)

N. El-Bana, S. E. Selim, H. Taleb

Abstract

With the growing interest in sustainability and sustainable design both regionally and globally, there emerged the challenge of designing and constructing a sustainable community in the desert, which invited some interesting ideas. One of these was Dubai Sustainable City, with climate and environment influencing its design. The UAE and Dubai in particular are trying to set a reference benchmark when it comes to sustainable design in such harsh climates. The aim of this study is to assess a sample case study of a new sustainable urban settlement from this region (Dubai Sustainable City) through a comparative analytical study of the chosen project (Dubai Sustainable City), a comparative study (assessment: LEED) which is held between the existing design and the same – but yet enhanced – design after applying the research recommendations. Some of the points that were raised – besides the sustainability of the design itself – through a practical approach were health, social life and the liveability of the current project design. Whilst this paper mainly focuses on the UAE’s sustainable developments, it could be argued that many of the research outcomes are of relevance to other countries and regions, especially those with the same social and harsh environmental conditions as the UAE.

Keywords

sustainability, design strategies, land use, adjustments capacity, transportation, sustainable landscape, CityCAD, master planning, sustainable communities, urban design