About The Sustainable City
The Sustainable City is a residential community in Dubai designed to demonstrate sustainable living on a practical scale. Developed by Diamond Developers, it combines homes, schools, retail, farming and leisure in a car-free environment powered largely by solar energy.
The community's homes are designed for energy efficiency, with features such as solar panels on rooftops, insulation and orientation that reduces heat gain. Solar energy generated on site supplies a large share of the community's electricity needs, and covered car parks also carry solar panels.
Inside the residential clusters, cars are kept out, with parking located on the edges of the community. Residents walk, cycle or use electric buggies to move around, creating quieter streets and more space for landscaping and play areas.
Water and waste are also managed with sustainability in mind. Greywater is recycled for irrigation, and waste is sorted for recycling. Urban farming is a distinctive feature, with greenhouses and growing areas where produce is cultivated within the community, and residents can take part in farming activities.
The community includes a school, retail spaces, a hotel, an equestrian centre and innovation facilities, aiming to create a self-contained neighbourhood where residents can meet many daily needs nearby.
The Sustainable City has been used as a model for other projects, and its developer has extended the concept to other locations, including communities in Sharjah and elsewhere in the region.
Dubai has set targets to increase the share of clean energy and reduce emissions from buildings, which account for a large portion of energy use. Communities designed around sustainability can show how these goals translate into everyday life.
The UAE's commitment to net zero by 2050 has increased interest in green building and sustainable urban development across the real estate sector.
As one of the region's best-known examples of sustainable community design, The Sustainable City is profiled on Startups UAE among the UAE's sustainability projects.
The community's homes are designed for energy efficiency, with features such as solar panels on rooftops, insulation and orientation that reduces heat gain. Solar energy generated on site supplies a large share of the community's electricity needs, and covered car parks also carry solar panels.
Inside the residential clusters, cars are kept out, with parking located on the edges of the community. Residents walk, cycle or use electric buggies to move around, creating quieter streets and more space for landscaping and play areas.
Water and waste are also managed with sustainability in mind. Greywater is recycled for irrigation, and waste is sorted for recycling. Urban farming is a distinctive feature, with greenhouses and growing areas where produce is cultivated within the community, and residents can take part in farming activities.
The community includes a school, retail spaces, a hotel, an equestrian centre and innovation facilities, aiming to create a self-contained neighbourhood where residents can meet many daily needs nearby.
The Sustainable City has been used as a model for other projects, and its developer has extended the concept to other locations, including communities in Sharjah and elsewhere in the region.
Dubai has set targets to increase the share of clean energy and reduce emissions from buildings, which account for a large portion of energy use. Communities designed around sustainability can show how these goals translate into everyday life.
The UAE's commitment to net zero by 2050 has increased interest in green building and sustainable urban development across the real estate sector.
As one of the region's best-known examples of sustainable community design, The Sustainable City is profiled on Startups UAE among the UAE's sustainability projects.