A developer from Dubai named URB recently revealed plans for the construction of The PARKS, Africa’s largest sustainable city, in South Africa.
The PARKS is expected to cost $20 billion to develop and take up an area of 17 square kilometers. It aims to offer the highest standard of sustainable living in the world to its expected 150,000 residents.
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It is anticipated that the smart and sustainable city, which is being planned for South Africa’s eastern region, will be car and waste-free. It will have 40,000 homes spread across 12 residential districts and include a mix of residential, medical, tourism, entertainment, retail, and educational elements.
According to the developer, in order to achieve self-sustainability and promote a net-zero lifestyle, the city will produce all of its own water, food, and energy.
How The PARKS will benefit the locals
The developer believes that the city’s economy will be automated and digital. Most jobs are likely to be related to green technology. During the city’s planning, construction, and operation, the developer said that more than 40,000 jobs would be created both in the short and long term.
Big Project Middle East and Diamond Developers had a meeting in June 2022 to go over projects at Sharjah Sustainable City. The PARKS is said to be a creatively planned community with the highest sustainability standards to create a unique zero-carbon destination.Â
It is designed from a landscape point of view to offer the happiest as well as healthiest ecosystem. This is according to URB CEO Baharash Bagherian. As per the statement, the city will set a standard for economical and sustainable living. It will also play a huge role in the country’s green economic growth.
Bagherian is credited with coming up with designs for several sustainable cities. These cities include Xzero, AlNama, and Nexgen. The landscape, he continued, is designed to support social sustainability. It also looks to support an active lifestyle, which permeates the entire city’s public realm.
The project’s features
These features are community farming plots, outdoor fitness stations, outdoor sports courts, jogging, and cycling tracks, waste-to-art public realm, and outdoor concerts. From Bagherian’s point of view, green spaces function as the development’s arteries and heart.
He said that the center of the development had a unique 5-kilometer-long multifunctional green spine. The spine has a number of branches of vibrant community parks that connect all the buildings together.
According to URB, this resilient landscape will enable residents to access all development hubs in a short period of time. This will be by walking, cycling, or using electric buggies. The PARKS will also offer green and safest means of transport. According to Bagherian, it will have more than 32 km of running, cycling, and horse riding tracks.
ICT and the Internet of Things (IoT) are also expected to be integrated into the city’s hard and soft infrastructure. These technologies will change the city’s networks and services into an ecosystem that is more efficient, intelligent, and collaborative.
The autonomous, shared, and the electric city will also boast of having “the most connected mobility strategy.” According to the developer, urging residents to use EVs and building smart EV infrastructure will quicken the adoption of EVs by the public at large.
The expected impacts of the project on tourism
The PARKS will also promote ecotourism. It looks to improve tourist experiences and provide lots of benefits to the community.
The developer stated that The PARKS would differentiate itself from other travel destinations. It will be a borderless city surrounded by a buffer of natural reserves. The city will be equipped with resorts like a five-star eco-resort and eco-lodges, a center for natural conversations, and an eco-tourism visitor center.
