Second Wind

Masdar City

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As master plans go, Masdar City was always larger than life. The AED80.8 billion project, with its ban on automobiles and carbon-neutral aspirations, was way ahead of its time when it was orginally announced in 2006, and almost five years later there is yet to be another development that matches it in terms of both ambition and scale.

In light of this, it is a shame that news emanating from Masdar City in the last six months has been notable only for its absence. The rumours of scale-backs have come thick and fast, while the only official news that leaks is of high-profile resignations. In terms of public relations, Masdar City has become a fortress.

For those of us outside the walls, speculation rules the day. Some say that architects are down to skeleton teams, others say that a whole new masterplan is currently under consideration in Abu Dhabi’s corridors of power. Most believe that the new Masdar, whenever it is unveiled, will be quite a different animal than what was proposed four years ago.

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That has been denied by Masdar’s chief executive Sultan Al-Jaber, who told Emirates News Agency last month that the carbon neutral residential project will not be scaled back. In a rare press conference, Al-Jaber said that work would continue as planned on the project. But it is not a surprise that people are starting to ask questions about Masdar.

The four-year-old project has experienced significant delays. While Masdar was originally slated for completion in 2015, five years later the planned 6km2 city contains only the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Other stories have not helped, either. In July, the Masdar Institute Provost John Perkins resigned, citing personal reasons, marking the second senior resignation in as many months.

But while these setbacks are significant, they have to be put into perspective. Masdar is a huge project, as ambitious today as it was in 2006, if not more so considering the global recession. The city will eventually be home to 50,000 people, with 60,000 more commuting daily – that is without mentioning the solar farms and transport infrastructure.

Given that it was launched at a time when architects and developers were out-doing each other with ridiculous schemes, it is inevtiable that Masdar is subject to scepticism, but the project is not the same as kilometre-high towers and underwater hotels. Masdar is one of the most worthwile schemes the UAE has ever seen, and only the worst kind of naysayers would wish it anything but success.

Those behind the development would do well to remember that as they continue to allow speculation and not cold hard facts to lead the media coverage of Masdar. When they finally emerge from the fortress walls and let us all know what was going on, they might discover that they have more friends than they thought.