Today I am so glad and proud to report that 2 cities i.e. Masdar city (Abu Dhabi, UAE) and Birmingham (West Midlands, UK) from my resident countries UAE and UK respectively are both making great, exemplary progress in their efforts to become green, sustainable communities and are on their way to reach maximum sustainability. This is as per the new UK research study which compared both these cities in their various aspects.

Sustainability experts at my University i.e. University of Birmingham conducted a detailed study dubbed 'A comparison of energy systems in Birmingham, UK, with Masdar City, an embryonic city in Abu Dhabi Emirate'. The study was published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review.

Lead researcher Susan Lee and colleagues launched the study to compare energy supply and use in the two cities. The study authors identified a set of five core 'lessons' as part of their research.

As part of this research, they compared two very different cities — both aspiring to be 'low-carbon'.

Masdar has started well by building low-rise, energy-efficient buildings with smart metering. Data from such buildings can help to change people's behaviour and help develop more energy-efficient new and retrofitted UK buildings.

As an established city, Birmingham has been flexible in adapting to new energy requirements and has much to teach Masdar. For example, the University of Birmingham's research into cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells could help the UAE city's desalination plants to develop a valuable energy source.

Home to more than one million people, Birmingham is UK's second city, in terms of size, after London and grew during the Industrial Revolution mostly due to its easy access to coal, iron, limestone and water, and became famous for its iron and steel-making.

By comparison, Masdar City is a large-scale mixed use development which lies 17km south-east of the city of Abu Dhabi, established in 2006 by the Abu Dhabi Government with a view to building 'the world's most sustainable city' of 40,000 people with 50,000 commuters by 2025.

With its low-rise and energy-efficient buildings, smart metering, excellent public transport and extensive use of renewable energy, the 2,000 citizens of Masdar City, in Abu Dhabi, are living in a place which is a 'green'example to city planners around the globe.

There are no light switches or water taps in Masdar City. Movement sensors control lighting and water in order to cut electricity and water consumption by 51 per cent and 55 per cent respectively.

Masdar is the world's first city designed to be "zero carbon" and "zero waste", but its environmental experts can learn much from the historic, post-industrial British city of Birmingham, as it, too, aims to become a low-carbon metropolis.

The Birmingham research team covered five key areas:

1. Innovation and experimentation. Innovation requires talented people and, often but not always, money. Masdar City benefits from attracting talented citizens, students and businesses and from access to generous national funding. Birmingham has limited means to experiment with alternative energy opportunities, thus impeding its practical progress.

2. Lock-in. Energy supply and demand are part of a complex system-of-systems when linked with other resources such as water, food and other city systems. Masdar City benefits from starting from a blank slate, whereas Birmingham has existing processes, procedures and an ageing infrastructure to negotiate.

3. Balance. But when it came to how the cities balanced aspects of economic, societal and environmental policy the study concluded that Masdar City could learn a lot from Birmingham's past mistakes. Pointing to evidence that Masdar City is concentrating far too heavily on a single economic goal at the expense of social cohesion they were able to draw a comparison to Birmingham at the start of the 20th Century, which heavily focused on its car industry.

4. Resilience. Despite increasingly sophisticated predictions of the future, none are reliable. Masdar City and Birmingham must both make efforts to future-proof the decisions they take today so that they continue to deliver what was intended, into the future.

5. Governance. Both cities have vision statements that include aims to be as sustainable and resource-secure as possible. To be successful, these aims must run through all city policies and sit at the heart of its vision.

The team analysed each city's energy flows within the context of their respective country's energy systems. They worked within the framework of the 'Urban Metabolism' theory whereby each city is viewed as a living organism which is constantly restructuring and developing.

Twin cities : Masdar City & Birmingham

About Masdar City

Masdar City is a large-scale mixed use development which lies 17km south-east of the city of Abu Dhabi, UAE. It was established in 2006 by the Abu Dhabi Government with a view to building 'the world's most sustainable city' of 40,000 people with 50,000 commuters by 2025. It  is a brand new city and is built around small energy efficient buildings.

The city is designed to encourage walking, with any nearest public transport link being within a maximum walking distance of 350m. Residents and commercial tenants can walk or use public transportation for all their needs within Masdar City.

Masdar City's buildings are only permitted to be up to five stories high, and are built on narrow streets, with rooftops covered with solar panels and street-level "solar canopies" providing shade. The shaded paths and narrow streets are designed to create a pleasant environment in which to walk in Abu Dhabi Emirate's hot climate.

 At the core of its sustainable credentials an awesome public transportation system. The city uses personal transportation pods and laid out so the nearest transport link should be within walking distance of any building.

 

About Birmingham

Birmingham is in the West Midlands and the UK's second largest city, in terms of size, after London. It grew during the Industrial Revolution mostly due to its easy access to coal, iron, limestone and water, and became famous for its iron and steel-making.

Birmingham is home to just over a million people with 426,300 people employed in the city. It has a young population, with 23% of its population under 16, and is multicultural with 42% of its population from a non-UK background.

During the 20th Century it became renowned for car manufacturing, but during the 1970s and 1980s, Birmingham's manufacturing base declined. The city is the largest UK centre for employment in public administration, education and health.

Now let me talk more about Birmingham as I am currently living here.

Birmingham is a remarkably green city known for its great industrial history, vibrant cosmopolitan communities, an extensive canal system (larger than that of Venice) and, at a push, its football clubs. In April 2014, it joined the likes of San Francisco, Wellington and Oslo in a global network of 'biophilic cities' – urban centres celebrated for their green credentials, their open spaces and their links to nature. It became part of global green cities club.

The idea is that nature is, or should be, central to a happy, healthy and meaningful life not only to country dwellers but to those living in cities. Birmingham, the first British city, invited to join the 'biophilic network', pledged to work with the eight other cities to find out ways of making sure its inner city dwellers and suburbanites are linked to nature and living organisms.

Sustainability and the Green Commission in Birmingham

The Vision of the Birmingham Green Commission pulls together three key strands that will make Birmingham a leading green city:

• Planning framework and policy
• Sustainable energy and CO2 reduction and
• The green economy.
• 
  

Birmingham has an ambitious target of a 60% reduction in total CO2 emissions by 2027, against 1990 levels.

• The Green Commission's priorities are:
• To accelerate investment in how we heat and power the city
• Create more local renewable energy
• Improve the way we travel and get around and
• Widen our investment in building energy efficiency programmes.

 

Sustainability at the most popular 'New Street Station'

Birmingham New Street is the largest station outside London and the busiest interchange station in the UK with a train leaving the station every 37 seconds. It is a central hub of the British railway system.

Till Sept 2015, it was a dark, unwelcoming and overcrowded hub with poor access for passengers and had poorly maintained/controlled energy intensive system of heating,cooling and ventilation. Birmingham City Council & Network Rail decided to turn it into a sustainable station. It was a big challenge to turn such a place into a light bright, modern, green welcoming space by incorporating sustainability into the station  while adhering to stringent rail standards. It was an architectural and environmental challenge.

It took 5 years and 𧾦 million to transform it into sustainable transport hub using the BREEAM methodology. Goal was set to achieve a BREEAM minimum rating of 'Very Good' and this goal is achieved. And it was all done behind the scenes as 170,000 passengers continued to use the station every day.

Network Rail are proudly boasting how its new atrium covering the huge passenger concourse is FIVE times the size of the one at London Euston with an abundance of natural light.

For those of us who don't know about BREEAM, let me give it's brief here: BREEAM is the world's leading sustainability assessment method for master-planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It inspires developers and creators to excel, innovate and make effective use of resources. The focus on sustainable value and efficiency makes BREEAM certified developments attractive property investments and generates sustainable environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them. 

The completed New Street sustainable station incorporates:

Key facts

• 60% of the toilet flushing demand provided by rainwater harvesting system
• Low energy and high efficiency LED lighting
• Efficient water spray taps for water conservation
• Energy efficient lifts and escalators
• Sub-metering for all water, heating and cooling to monitor energy consumption
• Natural daylight for the concourse and natural ventilation where possible to minimise energy consumption
• Responsibly and legally sourced materials including timber
• se of alternative materials such as carpet tiles with the yarn made from recycled fishing nets
• Network Rail's first ever station to incorporate a standalone Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant with the station electricity taken from the plant and waste heat transferred into a city district heating scheme
• Despite the location for New Street having a low ecology site, Network Rail appointed suitably qualified ecologists to advise and report on enhancing and protecting the ecological value of the site.
• Waste Recycling:Over 7,500 tons of concrete was removed from a disused car park adjacent to the old station. All the waste concrete removed from this site has been taken to a waste recycling facility for use on other projects. 98% of the material from the adjacent demolished tower was also recycled.
• Energy Monitoring:The redevelopment project has also installed a sub metering system which allows an accurate method of measuring water, electricity and carbon usage across our worksite on a day to day basis. This helps the project to monitor targets and reduce consumption.
• Exploration of various renewable and low carbon technologies ranging from Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP), Biomass boilers, and Photovoltaic (PV) to cover 2,000m2 around the South of the station façade was undertaken.

 

My city Birmingham is committed to becoming one of the world's most environmentally friendly cities.Ever since I have come here, I am mesmerized with it's abundant greenery, waste management and recycling systems/campaigns and policies and it's eco-conscious approach behind everything.

Sources

Gulf News

Masdar City

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/sustainability

http://www.makingbirminghamgreener.com/