Urban Planning Council (UPC) to demonstrate sustainability commitment at Cityscape Abu Dhabi

"Infopods" will educate visitors about government's Complete Sustainable Communities (CSC) programme.

The Government of Abu Dhabi's Urban Planning Council (UPC) is to exhibit for the fourth consecutive year at Cityscape Abu Dhabi with a centrepiece, 23 x 17 metre model depicting the Emirate's "Urban Structure Framework" (one of the cornerstones of the "Capital 2030" initiative first unveiled in 2007.)

Described by UPC General Manager His Excellency Falah Al Ahbabi as a "visualisation tool for the public to really understand how the various pieces of the Capital 2030 puzzle seamlessly interact, relate and blend with each other," the model deploys interactive terminals or "infopods" to help visitors understand some of the criteria that influence planning decisions.

In addition to guidelines set out in the Emirate's "Public Realm Design Manual" and "Urban Street Design Manual," urban planners are required increasingly to take account of the interests of the wider community under an initiative UPC has called "Complete Sustainable Communities (CPC)."

An off-shoot of the Estidama Pearl rating system (Abu Dhabi's answer to LEED certification,) CPC will rely on continuous monitoring of building energy and efficiency statistics to ensure wider communities meet environmental benchmarks and targets.