Abu Dhabi: For the first time, the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) will showcase a full display model of what Abu Dhabi will look like in the next 30 years.
The model will be unveiled at Cityscape Abu Dhabi, which will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) from April 18 to 21.
UPC was set up in 2007 to plan for the future of Abu Dhabi's urban environment, and is the authority behind the visionary Abu Dhabi 2030 Urban Structure Framework, on which UPC has been devoted to work on in the past three years with the help of hundreds of developers.
With a natural focus on Abu Dhabi and the region, next week's four-day annual international exhibition is expected to bring together the regional and international real estate community, with over 4,000 national and international participants.
Aspirations
With the aim of showcasing major urban planning initiatives, bringing together economic, cultural, environmental and social aspirations of Abu Dhabi in a single format, the 23x17-metre model will be displayed at UPC's Cityscape stand.
The model stretches from the Corniche on Abu Dhabi's main island to Shahama, Mussafah and Al Falah on the mainland, and includes the islands of Saadiyat, Yas, Lulu, Reem and Sowwah, which have been earmarked as key development areas of Capital 2030.
"This UPC initiative was designed in order to share our wise leader's grand vision with the people of Abu Dhabi, and with the rest of the world. It's a visible demonstration of our commitment to deliver what we embarked upon three years ago, when UPC was set up by an Emiri decree. It will be a living, breathing model that will be constantly updated to reflect progress on the ground, and serve as a great communication and promotional platform for all of Abu Dhabi's stakeholders," said Falah Al Ahbabi, UPC General Manager.
The model's 1:2000 scales enabled the designers to include significant details of various existing landmarks such as the Emirates Palace and the Grand Mosque as well as some of the iconic projects under development including Sowwah Square, Masdar and the tower on Lulu Island.
A selection of interactive digital totems will surrounded the model, in order to help visitors gain more insights into Abu Dhabi's framework plans, keeping in mind UPC's role in creating a sustainable next generation Arab Capital.
"The showcased model structure will act as a fantastic visualisation tool, and will help people understand how the various pieces of the Capital 2030 puzzle seamlessly interact, relate and blend with each other to provide a truly unique living experience for future residents and visitors alike," Al Ahbabi explained.
Visitors will be granted a holistic impression of the Vision 2030 urban development initiative across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia, through a designated Capital 2030 booth.
All of UPC's projects across the city of Abu Dhabi, from the Corniche revitalisation project, through to the North Wathba/South Baniyas masterplan, will be showcased. In addition, an interactive map for the Capital District will help highlight the planning for each precinct, including details on the new sports stadium and Zayed University.
A separate kiosk forecasting the Western Region's 2030 framework plan will also be available, with facts and figures about the region.
Similarly, the kiosk for Al Ain 2030 will help explain how the UPC is aligning the Al Ain Urban City Framework Plan, with the Al Ain Regional Structure Framework Plan. Besides rendering information on the three broad master plans for Abu Dhabi emirate, the UPC will also showcase information on other key development initiatives including street designs and infrastructure, which will showcase the principles of the recently launched Urban Street Design Manual and highlights of some of the planned changes to make Abu Dhabi's streets safer, more vibrant and pedestrian friendly.
