Cars won't even be allowed within its walls. Instead, the new city is planned so residents can find everything they need within walking distance. There will also be public transportation in the form of a high speed, low impact, light rail. But a car free existence isn't the only goal of Masdar City. Located next to Abu Dhabi International Airport  - the United Arab Emirates [UAE] capitol city - the new city will also be a waste-free, carbon neutral city. Planned as the flagship initiative of the One Planet Living Program  - a global initiative created by the Worldwide Fund for Nature and environmental consultants BioRegional  - Masdar City is designed around the program's 10 sustainability principles.

The six-square kilometer city (a little over two-square miles) will eventually house 1500 businesses and 50,000 residents. Phase one of the $22 billion project is expected to be habitable by 2009. But this green city isn't just about the here and now. It's a platform for testing and developing green technologies. The entire city will be powered by photovoltaic panels, solar and wind power. The water supply  - which will be reduced by 50% from the UAE's national average - will come from a solar-powered desalinization process. Waste water will be purified and used for landscaping and raising crops outside the city walls. There is also a 99% waste diversion plan to keep garbage out of landfills  - including plans to turn it into energy.

Even the construction of the city will be completed under green principles, with an eye toward using as much recycled materials as possible, and sustainable woods like bamboo and certified sustainable harvested timber. And it will all be constructed under fair trade principles.

Girlawhirl only hopes the initiatives taken in Masdar City become the standard instead of the exception, though she's the first to admit the city seems quite exceptional. And she can't wait to see it!