The PARKS, the largest sustainable metropolis in Africa, is the vision of Dubai-based URB. With 150,000 inhabitants, this city will offer the highest standard of sustainable living in the entire world by producing all of its own food, water, and electricity on-site.
THE PARKS is a projected smart city created for South Africa's eastern region. In a mixed-use neighborhood with residential housing, medical and retail, education, tourist, and entertainment services, the goal is to encourage a net-zero lifestyle. The 40,000 residential units, however, are dispersed across 12 residential areas.
The city's economy will be based on automated services, and most jobs will be in green technology to support local services. A cool feature of a city like this is that it generates employment. In actuality, the latest estimate is greater than 40,000. This includes the jobs generated throughout the city's development, building, and operation.
The city will also be car-free and carbon neutral to encourage active living and social sustainability. There will be outdoor exercise stations, community farms, sports courts and fields, running and cycling trails, a waste-based public art forum, and outdoor music performances to enjoy.
Additionally, parks will connect the neighborhood, and electric buggies will improve accessibility for people with disabilities. The city of THE PARKS should accommodate residents from various socioeconomic backgrounds and have a diversified workforce.
But since this is such a big undertaking, we'll have to wait and see how it turns out. THE PARKS is intended to serve as a prototype for sustainable cities around the world, and its designers hope that it will do so with the help of a smart grid, urban food production to cut down on transportation-related emissions, and several green energy technologies.