Masdar City  

Photograph by Angie McMonigal  

Masdar City, Foster + Partners, construction ongoing 

Masdar City is the pillar of the Masdar Initiative, one of the world’s preeminent green urban communities that focuses on economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The city plan is being completed in phases by Foster + Partners, which began the project in 2007. Masdar City is rooted in traditional Arab planning principles found in walled-desert cities and combines them with modern solutions for energy and water efficiency, mobility, and waste reduction. To minimize energy use, the buildings’ self-shading façades and extended-roof installations provide maximum shade to neighboring buildings and the streets below.