URB has unveiled plans to develop Africa's most sustainable city, a development that can host 150,000 residents. Known as The Parks, the city plans to produce 100% of its energy, water & food on-site through biodomes, solar-powered air-to-water generators, and biogas production. The 1,700-hectare project will feature residential, medical, ecotourism, and educational hubs to become one of the significant contributors to the growing green and tech economy in South Africa.
Green spaces are the heart and arteries of the entire development. As the central axis, a 5km long multifunctional green spine integrates 12 mixed-use biophilic areas to connect residents to all hubs within the city in minutes by walking, cycling, or high-speed autonomous E.V shuttles.
The resilient field serves not only the landscape but promotes good land use. The Parks will incorporate different urban farming methods such as community gardens, biodomes, aquaponics, and vertical farms. The agricultural infrastructure will also adopt the world's first high-tech scalable FEW+W smart urban farms, which use saline water. In addition, the city will provide fish and dairy farms enabled by data science, IoT, AI, and automation to produce higher-quality foods that are locally grown. Organic waste will support biogas production as an additional source of energy.
3D printing technology will make part of the construction processes, minimizing waste and increasing efficiencies. In addition, cooking oil from restaurants and kitchens will be recycled into Biodiesel and used as fuel in construction for future expansions and phases of the development.
The Parks is innovatively planned with the highest standards of sustainability to create a car-free community & a unique zero carbon destination. (…) The landscape is designed to promote social sustainability and an active lifestyle, which permeates throughout the public realm of the city - Baharash Bagherian, URB CEO
With an investment of USD 20 billion, the developers expect to create more than 40,000 jobs in the short and long term during the city's planning, construction & operation. The city's economy will be automated & digital, with a majority of jobs in green tech. The Parks will become a benchmark of economically viable sustainable living and a positive contribution to the green economic growth of South Africa.
Dubai-based developer firm URB is leading ambitious projects that bridge into the future of sustainable cities. Recently launched plans, such as the Urban Tech District in Dubai and Xzero in Kuwait, look to optimize density distribution to create smart and walkable cities through agriculture, community development, and technology.
