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      Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future

      Massive developments proposed for the U.S., China and Abu Dhabi aim to reduce or even eliminate the environmental cost of city living

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      Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future
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      Credits: SOM

      Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future

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      • Carless Future? Personalized Rapid Transit vehicles on fixed paths (to be installed underground) will replace automobiles. ADVANCED TRANSPORT SYSTEMS LTD. www.atsltd.co.uk
      • Masdar at a Glance Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
        Size: 1,600 acres
        Schedule: Completion by 2016
        Future population: 30,000 people from the wealthy emirate
        Cost: At least $22 billion (amount committed by the U.A.E... M-SAT LTD/SPL/PHOTO RESEARCHERS, INC
      • Built on black gold Masdar: Oil wealth fuels construction of an ecological city in the Arabian desert. FOSTER + PARTNERS
      • Green Features In addition to protecting wetlands for birds—and returning some agricultural land to nature—Dongtan will recover, recycle and reuse 90 to 100 percent of its waste. Wind and biomass will provide all electricity, and hydrogen-powered or plug-in electric vehicles will provide most transportation... WORLDSAT INTERNATIONAL/SPL/PHOTO RESEARCHERS, INC
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      • Tabletop model of the planned city Location: Chongming Island, Shanghai, China
        Size: 250 acres in 2010, 1,600 acres in 2020, 7,400 acres in 2050 on an island of 300,000 acres
        Schedule: Construction begins in 2009, with first units available in 2010... TIM JOHNSON MCT/Landov
      • Green in the Yangtze Dongtan: One of the earliest eco-cities announced may take longer than anticipated to complete. MCT/LANDOV
      • Treasure Island: Aerial Plan Schedule: Groundbreaking in 2010, first homes available in 2013, completed by 2020
        Future population: 13,500 people, drawn by a mixture of market-rate and more affordable housing
        Cost: Confidential but estimated at $3 billion
        Green features: In addition to gaining new buildings, Treasure Island will be mostly returned to nature: 300 of the 450 acres will be parks, farms and other greenery... SOM/SMWM/CMG LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
      • Treasure Island Today Today it is an almost completely paved naval air base built atop earthen material dredged from the San Francisco Bay in the 1930s. Courtesy of Ruthann O’Connor
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      • Northern view of Treasure Island 2020 By 2020 Treasure Island is scheduled to become one of the most sustainable communities in the U.S. SOM
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      • Carless Future?
      • Masdar at a Glance
      • Built on black gold
      • Green Features
      • Tabletop model of the planned city
      • Green in the Yangtze
      • Treasure Island: Aerial Plan
      • Treasure Island Today
      • Northern view of Treasure Island 2020
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