Life in my Sigma City

Growing up in Dubai, I always loved to explore the city and its surroundings. One thing that always fascinated me was the colored plastics. I never knew where they came from, but I loved to see them everywhere.

When I was 12 years old and visited a beach in India, I was horrified to see the accumulation of plastic bottles and cigarette buds on the shore. The plastic bottles and cigarettes were not only polluting the beach but also the water. I decided to collect as many as possible and put them in a bag. When I got home, I took my bag to my parents and asked them what we can do about it. They told me that there is nothing we can do about it because it is a worldwide problem.

Today, pollution has increased significantly, with more than 8 billion people on earth. It is not just one country's problem anymore; it is everyone's problem.

When I googled how I can contribute to this problem, I came across the sustainable living. Since sustainable living was not practiced in cities, I visited my father's village during the summer to learn about their daily lives. I understood how our ancestors lived sustainably devoid of any ecological footprint for thousands of years before the industrial revolution transformed our way of life and introduced unsustainable habits into our lives, such as high-consumption lifestyles, mass production, and chemical agriculture, among others.

Being fond of technology, I wondered how we can maintain the balance between convenience and sustainability, and that’s when I came up with the idea of building a model sustainable city.

After a month’s research and toil, I came up with nine elements of an ideal sustainable city, keeping in mind the climatic conditions of the UAE.

Sun. Solar Energy. Solar Panels.

When it comes to sustainability, solar energy is probably the most overused term. However, it is the most appropriate form of energy for the summer in the UAE. In my model, each building and structure will have solar panels that will consume the energy of that building to meet its needs.

Thermal Model Buildings.

This building design incorporates large concrete slabs because it has high thermal capacity. Compared to other building materials, it can store more energy per degree rise in temperature. This will be particularly useful in the extreme summers of the UAE.

PIR Motion Sensing Lights.

Passive infrared (PIR) sensors use a pair of pyroelectric sensors to detect heat energy in the surrounding environment. These two sensors sit beside each other, and when the signal differential between the two sensors changes (if a person enters the room, for example), the sensor will engage.

Soil Hygrometer.

A soil hygrometer humidity detection module is used to detect moisture. This sensor can be used to make an automatic watering system, so that garden plants can be watered without people managing them. In a country like UAE, where natural water sources are scarce, this will help conserve water while also growing the crops required.

Vertical Pink Farm.

Vertical farming is an indoor practice that harnesses technology to grow crops as opposed to horizontal traditional farming. It is an ideal practice in UAE, where there is less fertile soil, as they require no soil. Moreover, they use less than 90% water compared to traditional farming.

Blue Green Roofs.

Plants growing on the roof insulate the top of the building, which reduces the heat leaving the building in winter, and so reduces the heating bill. It helps to cool the environment, increase roofing materials' lifespan and at the same time reduce the heat influx into the building, reducing air conditioning demand.

Hydraulic Traffic Reduce System.

Having lived in UAE for the majority of my life, I have seen constructions or re-road mapping constantly in various places due to increasing population and increasing traffic. To avoid the wastage of resources in various areas, incorporating the traffic reduction system is vital.

Plastic Roads.

UAE being a global hub, has witnessed a gradual increase in population. As a result, the waste generated (plastics) has increased over the year. To ensure less accumulation of plastic in landfills, we can reutilize them on plastic roads.

Rainwater Harvesting

Although UAE is a desert, parts of UAE, like Fujairah, Khorfakkan, and Al Ain, receive rainfall from the seasonal winds of December. In a country with water scarcity, rainwater harvesting in such places will help out with agricultural practices.

Sustainability is not only what we should be doing for the sake of our planet but also for ourselves as human beings. We are already suffering from the effects of global warming and climate change. So let sustainability lead the way forward because it’s not just about us. It’s about all of us.