Aldar, Diamond Developers launch The Sustainable City - Yas Island

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Aldar Properties (Aldar) in partnership with Diamond Developers has launched The Sustainable City - Yas Island, a sustainability-centric community offering a new way of life for residents in Abu Dhabi.

The family- friendly development, which builds on the strengths of The Sustainable City - Dubai, is a walkable community in the surrounds of open green spaces, leisurely walkways, and community farming plots.

The project is underpinned by a central green spine that runs the length of the community, featuring parks, lakes, and biodomes where vegetables will be grown and distributed throughout the community. With a strong focus on enabling an active community, The Sustainably City - Yas Island will also be home to a range of communal facilities and amenities, including an equestrian centre with stables, a track and two arenas, a gym and multiple pools, cycling and jogging tracks, football, basketball and padel courts, retail and F&B outlets, a nursery, a centre for autism, and a green and sustainable mosque.

Within this low emissions community, a network of communal battery-charged buggies and bicycles will be available so that residents and visitors can move around while their cars remain parked on the outer edge of the development. The community’s design philosophy has a focus on increasing walkability and accessibility at all levels.

Available for buyers of all nationalities, The Sustainable City - Yas Island will feature condominiums and townhouses located in 10 intimate clusters. In the first phase of the project, 272 condominiums and 240 townhouses will be released for public sale on 19 January.

Jonathan Emery, Chief Executive Officer at Aldar Development said, “The Sustainable City - Yas Island is a landmark project for Aldar, reflecting our commitment to provide an increasingly diverse range of curated living experiences that our local and overseas customers tell us they want to live and invest in. This new community is a hugely powerful response to the strong demand we see for a more sustainable way of living, with the emergence of a more environmentally conscious customer group who seek a natural lifestyle experience that focuses on low carbon emissions, energy conservation, and the fundamental principles of a circular economy. The community will be brought to life in partnership with Diamond Developers, experts in the creation and management of sustainable cities, and champions of place making and a low carbon future.”

The Sustainable City - Yas Island is a fully sustainable community that will be guided by three sustainability pillars - social, environmental, and economic. As one of the few Estidama 3-pearl communities in Abu Dhabi, the development will be powered by clean renewable energy, including solar panels embedded on all parking structures, enabling residents to save up to 50 percent on energy bills. Additionally, high-efficiency water systems, sustainability tech, community design principles, and recycling facilities within the community will help to reduce carbon emissions, water consumption, energy usage, and waste.

Salah Habib, Chief Executive Officer at Diamond Developers said, “Cities need to create a path to Net-Zero emissions that considers city-specific features like building material, food production and mobility solutions. The Sustainable City - Yas Island marks a key milestone in our journey to supporting the UAE’s Net Zero targets. The community will give residents of Abu Dhabi the chance to live in a sustainable community, with access to clean energy, locally grown food, recycled water, and waste with carbon-free mobility. The community will also embrace the latest innovations in sustainable technology, placing the community in Abu Dhabi at the forefront of the battle against climate change. We are proud to bring this ground-breaking community to life alongside Aldar.”

Announced in January 2022 during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, The Sustainable City - Yas Island is the product of joint venture with Diamond Developers, the mastermind behind The Sustainable City brand. Construction of the project will commence in Q2 2023, with first handovers expected in Q4 2025.

Aldar Properties is a real estate development, management and investment company with headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The company’s shares are traded on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

Aldar develops and manages major projects within the Abu Dhabi Emirate such as Al Raha Beach, Al Raha Gardens and Yas Island, which includes the Yas Marina Circuit, Ferrari World and Yas Hotel Abu Dhabi. Aldar introduced their new project “Lea” located in the north side of the Yas Island having a collection of Residential Land. Lea at Yas Island offers waterfront living alongside parks, promenade and waterside walkways in addition access to all of Yas Acres amenities.