Designed by URB, The Park concept is Africa’s largest sustainable city and provides a net zero life for 150,000 residents. The city will produce everything residents need, such as water, food, and energy; URB plans to create a smart, self-sufficient place.
The smart city plans as 1.700 hectares located in the eastern region of South Africa. The urban development of the project includes various mixed-use hubs such as 40,000 residential units and 12 residential districts, medical, tourism, and education.
The economic strategy of the city plan will include a green economy and green tech. Approximately 40.000 jobs will be created in the short and long term. URB plans to become this project a benchmark for sustainable living models and a positive contribution to the green economic growth of South Africa.
Before URB launched projects such as Xzero, AlNama, and Nexgen, the CEO of URB, Baharash Bagherian, stated, “The landscape is designed to promote social sustainability and an active lifestyle, which permeates throughout the public realm of the city. Some of these features include outdoor fitness stations, community farming plots, outdoor sports courts, dedicated jogging and cycling tracks, waste-to-art public realm, outdoor concerts, and much more.”
Ecological aspects guide the project development. The designers focused on creating a happy environment where residents become community stewards. Also uses nature as a multi-functional natural system complimented by green and blue infrastructure.
The city will use artificial intelligence for sustainable solutions and blockchain technology to enhance sales and leasing.
Creating a zero-carbon smart city takes a balance between planning, construction, and operation pillars. The project concept was optimized by using various tools, methods, and analyses such as energy modeling, microclimate analysis, solar radiation analysis, daylight simulations/ analysis, glare control, water efficiency, water recycling, life cycle costing analysis, waste management, and waste recycling analysis, sustainable landscaping and urban drainage analysis.
The Parks will also include the world’s first interconnected scalable food-energy-water-waste farms. Park city also reuses desalination brine water to farm fish and halophytic plants such as quinoa and salicornia. To promote sustainability, nutrition, and food security, the city will produce healthy and nutritious food with minimal environmental impact.
According to designers, technology such as Information Communication Technologies [ICT] and the Internet of Things [IoTs] have been integrated into the city’s hard and soft infrastructures.
Also, The Park will promote ecotourism to bring many benefits to the community whilst also enhancing travelers’ experience.
