EXCLUSIVE: New city for Western Region

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Plans for a brand new city west of Abu Dhabi have been unveiled by design firm RNL.

Developers and designers will be invited to submit proposals at the end of the summer for individual plots in the 27km² project, which will include a new harbor, marina and hundreds of units of housing in the Al Gharbia desert .

RNL have drawn up the framework for the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), who plan to boost the population of Al Gharbia by four or five times its present number.

Patrick McKelvey, senior principal at RNL, said Al Gharbia was set to become a new industrial hub in the Western Region.

“It has become a focal point for planned expansion, and this is one of the first steps of the 2030 plan, to put together these framework plans which will guide future developments,” he said.

“There is a lot going on out there.”

As well as a new harbor and marina, the development will include housing, schools, and retail and recreation facilities capable of supporting a growing population. Al Gharbia is already home to some 16,000 workers and their families employed at the nearby ADNOC oil company headquarters.

The new Ruwais City will include a town center, a waterfront district and hill top neighborhoods, catering to a varied range of inhabitants, from large families to single professionals.

The center of the city and the waterfront is designed to be pedestrian friendly, in line with the Abu Dhabi and Al Gharbia 2030 plans, while transport links to residential areas are paramount. The waterfront will include a marina and ferry facilities to the nearby tourist islands of Delma and Si Bani Yas.

The Urban Planning Council (UPC) and Western Region Municipality will invite developers and designers to submit proposals for each of the individual plots at the end of the summer.