Shakhbout City will be home to 80,000 residents

Abu Dhabi: The master plan for the development of Shakhbout City, featuring additional housing for residents and community facilities such as parks, mosques, schools and hospitals, has been completed by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC). The plan has been formally handed over to Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADM) for implementation.

Shakhbout City, formerly known as Khalifa City B, is a major residential development on the Abu Dhabi mainland, approximately 30km from the Abu Dhabi Island CBD, northeast of Mohammad Bin Zayed City and south of Abu Dhabi International Airport. Covering 1,854 hectares, it is close to Zayed City, the new seat of Federal Government offices.

Plan Capital 2030

Shakhbout City will soon be home to 80,000 residents whose needs have been incorporated into the plan. In line with the feedback to provide Emiratis housing, the plan has allocated 323 additional plots to them, as well as a ‘district park’ in Shakhbout City’s business centre. Sites for commercial buildings, government service centres and community facilities such as nurseries, community centres and cultural associations have also been planned.

The master plan is in line with the vision outlined in the UPC’s Plan Capital 2030, ensuring that all residents enjoy a high standard of living, within easy reach of good quality community facilities.

Abdullah Al Sahi, acting executive director of planning and infrastructure, UPC, said: “Shakhbout City is a vital component of the UPC’s vision to create sustainable, attractive neighbourhoods for all Abu Dhabi residents. It’s strategically important because we envision it becoming a ‘feeder’ community for Zayed City, offering residents attractive employment and leisure opportunities within a short commute. The updated master plan makes provision for the kinds of facilities outlined in our Complete Sustainable Communities (CSC) initiative which guides our strategy to ensure all residents of Abu Dhabi enjoy easy access to facilities that enhance their quality of life.”

The ADM will now take the Shakhbout City Master Plan through to completion. It is carrying out a study to evaluate the differences between the existing and required infrastructure in order to define the work needed to complete all public service networks, including telecommunications, sewage and rainwater drainage, irrigation and underground water networks.

Meanwhile, the Master Transportation Plan will be finalised by the end of 2015. This plan defines the required street expansion that will ensure an optimised traffic flow, in addition to enhancing the entry/exit points to and from Shakhbout City and connection points with highway networks.

As for parks and children’s play facilities in Shakhbout City, the ADM has a plan for the next five years, including the development of 29 parks, divided amongst seven construction projects. The first project is for four parks, whose implementation will begin in 2016. Four more parks will come up the following year.