ABU DHABI // Planners, architects and the public will be taught the philosophy behind the Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan, the framework for the city's future development, under an Urban Planning Council (UPC) initiative announced yesterday. Estidama Community Sustainable Responsibility 2030 (ECSR 2030), will deal with four main elements: environment, economic, social and cultural elements. ECSR 2030 will consist of two phases: urban design guidelines for the city's "sustainable" future, and a campaign to enlighten the public.
The first step of the programme will be to establish guidelines, applicable to all new developments in the emirate, ensuring they fall in line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan. All new civic projects have to be presented to the UPC and must conform to the plan if they are to be approved. The second phase is an educational programme, in which television advertisements, posters and outreach campaigns will be aimed at design professionals, as well as students in learning about civic sustainability.
"This is a next-generation plan," a UPC spokesman said. "We want to educate the youth about the philosophy behind Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan." The Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan represents an entirely new way of looking at city design, giving priority to pedestrians over drivers, public space over private space, and high-rise buildings surrounded by green areas instead of urban sprawl, the UPC said. "It's not too difficult to promote sustainability here. It's more difficult to change people's attitudes. That's what we want to do with this," the spokesman said.
He said the educational part of ECSR 2030 should raise awareness of Abu Dhabi's vision for its future and help change the mindset of the people about driving, the environment and ways of using the city. Estidama, a branch of the UPC, was launched in May. Meaning "sustainability" in Arabic, Estidama has been charged with devising a plan for sustainable buildings and ensuring all developments meet the standards set by the Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan.
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