A half-built futuristic ‘eco-city’ is sitting empty in the Arabian Desert

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Etienne Malapert

Abu Dhabi officials had big plans for Masdar City.

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When they broke ground on the development in 2008, it was slated to be the world’s most sustainable city, with zero carbon emissions, zero waste and zero cars. But construction, which was originally scheduled to wrap up this year, has been much slower than expected. And the city has not achieved full carbon neutrality — according to the Guardian, current plans suggest that only half of the city’s power will be renewable.

As of now, the city sits mostly empty — only around 300 people live there, and the completion date has been pushed back to 2030.

French photographer Etienne Malapert became interested in Masdar City while studying at ECAL, a Swiss school of art and design. He visited Masdar City last year and documented its buildings, streets and plazas.

Take a look at his photos.

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“I knew nothing about Masdar,” Malapert tells Tech Insider in an email. “There were few images of the city before I went, so I let myself be free to photograph whatever I found interesting: architecture, landscape and the people who work there.”

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Etienne Malapert

Masdar City was designed to hold up to 40,000 residents in two square miles, with 50,000 working and studying there during the day. But the only current residents are the students and faculty at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a university campus.

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Etienne Malapert
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Malapert was struck by how lonely he felt walking around the silent streets. “I was very surprised by the emptiness in Masdar. One could almost speak of a dead, ghostly city,” he says. “There are few people in the streets, all is quiet. The people who work there are in buildings almost all day.”

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Etienne Malapert

According to Anthony Mallows, Masdar City's Director of Planning and Delivery, there are around 2,000 apartments that have either been built, or are under construction or being designed. "This will bring the residential population at Masdar City to more than 3,500 within the next two to three years," he tells Tech Insider in an email.

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Etienne Malapert
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According to the original master plan created by architecture firm Foster + Partners, Masdar City would harness the area’s intense sunlight via solar panels, and use that energy to power the city.

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Etienne Malapert

The high-rises are angled to provide the most possible shade to each other and the city’s streets. A 147-foot wind tower directs the breeze down one of the city’s main streets to help residents stay cool.

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Etienne Malapert
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The firm also designed the city to be car-free, with electric shuttles to transport passengers around.

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Cars sit by the side of the road in Khalifa City, near Masdar City.
Etienne Malapert

As companies develop electric, driverless cars, that part of the plan has become somewhat outdated, and will likely be scrapped or changed going forward.

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Sports cars are parked outside a compound in Khalifa City.
Etienne Malapert
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Nonetheless, the city’s most important buildings, which include the Middle East headquarters of Siemens and the Masdar Institute, look modern and high-tech. "In the future, Masdar City will realize 200,000 square meters of built-up area every year for the next five years, including schools, offices, hotels, shops, restaurants and private homes," Anthony Mallows says.

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Etienne Malapert

The International Renewable Energy Agency moved its headquarters to Masdar City in 2015. Its six-story building uses only a third of the energy that other comparable office buildings need in Abu Dhabi.

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Etienne Malapert
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Malapert says he attempted to capture the futuristic architecture in his photos. “I like to say that Masdar looks like a ship laid in the desert. There is a strong contrast between the rest of the country and Masdar.”

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Etienne Malapert

When the government of the United Arab Emirates announced Masdar in 2006, it pledged $22 billion to the project. After the global financial crisis, that funding dropped to $18 billion. Construction still continues.

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Etienne Malapert
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Malapert says he was impressed by Masdar, and is optimistic about the city’s future. “I think this project is one of the most successful when we talk about autonomous cities, but needs time to implement this and become a true success,” he says.

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Etienne Malapert

For now, however, the self-sufficient city of the future remains a half-built ghost town.

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Etienne Malapert
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