Experts invited to guide capital's green plan

World experts have been invited to help local designers interpret the plan to build a pedestrian-friendly city.

ABU DHABI // Architects and planning experts from around the world have been invited to help local designers interpret the capital's master plan to build a green, pedestrian-friendly city. Larry Beasley, the Canadian urban planner who played a leading role in drawing up Abu Dhabi Plan 2030, is among the team brought together by the Urban Planning Council (UPC) to run a series of three-day seminars.

The plan focuses on transportation, land use, public space and the environment, with the aim of turning the capital into a walkable, environmentally conscious city. Entitled Contemporary Urbanism Forum, the seminars will focus on topics related to property development and urban planning. "The programme offers a holistic view of the city and the key dimensions for its success," said Jamal al Hosani, the executive director of the planning council.

Topics covered in the seminars include the history and evolution of the city, cities as ecological units and the competitiveness of cities, as well as the steps to be taken to turn the visions of Plan 2030 into reality. Mr Beasley, who is associated with the urban planning theories known as the Vancouver Model, was chosen to guide the Plan 2030 because of his expertise and experience in helping cities provide high-density housing in spacious surroundings with a reduced reliance on cars.

"The Vancouver Model is a manifestation of what people understand as a contemporary approach to the modern sustainable city," he said. "Its hallmarks are sustainable form - that means density, but it is also comfortable; open space, green space, public facilities and high-quality architecture." The UPC hopes the seminars will help planners implement the model effectively. The first seminar has already been held and the second finishes tomorrow at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. A third will run there from Nov 11-13.

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