XZERO CITY:
A NEW BENCHMARK MODEL
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES

XZERO:
A NEW BENCHMARK MODEL
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES

XZERO CITY | KUWAIT

XZERO is a planned sustainable community, providing a net zero carbon lifestyle for 100,000 residents, in balance with nature. The city will provide food & energy security whilst promoting a green circular economy in an eco-friendly live, work & visit destination.

The 1,600 hectare development is planned for the southern region of Kuwait to provide 30,000 residential units, as well as 30,000 green jobs, which will be created in various hubs such as medical, tourism, technology, educational, retail & entertainment.

XZERO will promote sustainable tourism through its various eco-friendly hospitality assets, including a 5-star eco resort and eco lodges. Edutainment attractions such as the utility park & nature conservation center will transform the city into a unique visitor attraction. The green-tech hub will promote a collaborative innovative environment in food, energy, water and waste tech. The medical hub will feature an autism village, wellness center & clinics. The educational hub will feature a nursery, school & an institute. Commercial hub will include indoor mall & flexible office spaces.

The masterplan was designed using passive design strategies, as well as green & blue infrastructure, to create a sustainable development which requires the least financial investment whilst providing the highest environmental gains. Active strategies & state-of-the-art technologies are integrated into the city to provide the highest standards of living through its smart city grid. The sustainability elements within the city are also highlighted as features within the landscape to serve as an educational tool.

CEO of URB, Baharash Bagherian, who has masterminded designs of various sustainable cities including recently launched projects such as AlNama, Nexgen, The Sustainable City in Yiti, The Sustainable City Yas Island and many more yet to be revealed, explains the significance of XZERO as a new benchmark for future cities.

“The creation of sustainable cities that follow the highest standards of living with lowest impact on the environment is no longer a choice, it has become a necessity.

XZERO is planned with multi-functional holistic solutions that address the three key pillars of sustainability; social, economic & environmental.”

“The heart of this project is the unique resilient landscape, which is multifunctional and designed to promote health, wellbeing & biodiversity. The landscape is the social glue to the entire city, which will promote a vibrant neighborhood whilst connecting residents to all amenities within minutes. The landscape is integrated with wadis to enhance resilience & livability whilst also promoting variation of habitats for wildlife. The landscape is also productive, incorporating many different urban farming methods such as community gardens, bio domes, aquaponics, vertical farms & biosaline agriculture.”

The city is also designed and optimized in planning to be the most walkable city on earth. Primary & secondary walking networks are well shaded and connected with other modes of green transport such as cycling & electric buggies to offer residents the safest, most convenient & enjoyable travel to every aspect of the city. The city provides 35km of dedicated running and cycling tracks as well as a 9km of equestrian track which connects to the equestrian center.

The density was optimized to maximize the green space ratio, mitigating effects of rising temperatures and urban heat islands, thus creating a “cooler” environment. The mix use areas are strategically located in the heart of the project along with the highest density of residential units, to reduce the walking distances for most of the city dwellers.

Ultimately the city will provide the highest quality of life whilst protecting the environment for future generations. It will become a new benchmark for future cities to be planned in tune with nature, whilst promoting a greener circular economy.

KEY FACTS

  • 16 KM2
  • 100,000 residents
  • 30,000 residential units
  • 100% renewable energy
  • 100% water recycling
  • Smart self sufficient city
  • Car-free city
  • 35km dedicated running & cycling tracks
  • 9km dedicated equestrian track
  • Ecotourism, medical tourism & edutainment
  • Autism village & rehabilitation centre
  • State-of-the art education
  • Zero-waste city
  • Productive landscape

SUSTAINABILITY DNA

The project is planned to follow the highest sustainability standards by providing multifunctional holistic solutions to address all the three key pillars of sustainability; social, economic and environmental. The aim is to create a zero carbon smart city that takes a balanced approach between these three pillars.

A sustainability brief was created for the project with targets and initiatives, which was divided into categories to create a unique sustainability DNA. Some of these categories included water, energy, food, waste, mobility, building materials, health & wellbeing, pollution, ecology, green & blue infrastructure etc..  The integration of all these sustainability elements into the design at the early stages helped to achieve the highest level of social, environmental and economic sustainability.

Key planning principles at the early stages was one of the key drivers of creating XZERO. Basic design decisions such as orientation, density and form provided the biggest environmental gains, yet these required the least financial investment. Thus at the early stages of the project we were able to reduce a large amount of energy demand with little cost.

The project was further optimised using various tools, methods and analysis such as energy modelling, microclimate analysis, solar radiation analysis, daylight simulations/ analysis and glare control, water efficiency, water recycling, life cycle costing analysis, waste management and waste recycling analysis, sustainable landscaping and urban drainage analysis.

Ultimately, the sustainability brief with clear targets and initiatives which was created for the project helped guide the design in the pursuit of the sustainability goals to create a new model of Zero Carbon Smart City.

MASTERPLAN

masterplan-URB

THE HEART OF XZERO IS A UNIQUE RESILIENT
LANDSCAPE WHICH WILL PROMOTE
HEALTH, WELLBEING & BIODIVERSITY

KEY PLANNING PRINCIPLES

GREEN HEART

The heart & arteries of the city is a resilient multifunctional landscape, which is designed to promote health, wellbeing & biodiversity. The unique landscape will promote a vibrant social neighborhood whilst connecting residents to all amenities within minutes.

ORIENTATION

The city was planned & optimized in orientation to reduce energy demand whilst providing optimal shading for walkways within residential clusters as well as optimum wind flows.

DENSITY

Densification of the city as optimized to reduce walking distances for majority of population whilst promoting a more inclusive and connected community. The mix-use areas are also strategically located in the heart of the development to reduce the walking distances for majority of the residents.

PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES SUCH AS
ORIENTATION, DENSITY AND FORM
REQUIRE THE LEAST FINANCIAL
INVESTMENT YET PROVIDE THE HIGHEST
ENVIRONMENTAL GAINS

GREEN & BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE

WATER SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN

The resilient landscape design of the city is integrated with various water sensitive urban design (WSUD) strategies. The wadi and arteries are an integrated system that work as a network for storm water management as both retention and infiltration.

GREEN SPINE

The green spine that wraps the city is integrated with a network of biophilic systems which allow nature to thrive whilst promoting resilience through various strategies. A green industrial hub and future expansion zone are located within the green spine.

FEW+W NEXUS

The city features scalable farms with high tech biosaline agricultural, energy, water & waste solutions that address the critical Food-Energy-Water + Waste Nexus are integrated within the green spine.

THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL LANDSCAPE IS THE HEART
OF THE PROJECT, PROMOTING A CARBON-FREE
HEALTHY LIVING ENVIRONMENT & ENABLING A
WALKABLE CITY FULLY INTEGRATED WITH
ALTERNATIVE MODES OF GREEN TRANSPORT

WALKABLE CITY

CAR FREE ZONE

The planning of the city was optimized to limit vehicular access thus maximizing the landscape ratio, to create a walkable city. The increase of landscape area will promote social activities, biodiversity and microclimate optimisation which will also mitigate effects of rising temperatures and urban heat islands.

WALKABILITY

Walking networks are well shaded and connected with other modes of green transport to offer residents the safest, most convenient and enjoyable travel to every aspect of the city. Primary and secondary walking networks are designed and optimised in planning to enable the most walkable city on earth.

LIMITED VEHICULAR ACCESS

The ring road & solar car park farms allow for limited vehicular access, which are optimised to further reduce the walking distances for residents to their homes. Electric charging stations and reduced energy costs will promote the use of electric vehicles.

A LANDSCAPE THAT FEATURES COMMUNITY
GARDENS TO PROMOTE SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
ARE ALSO GREAT EDUCATIONAL TOOLS FOR CHILDREN

ACTIVE MOBILITY

CYCLING + E-BUGGY

Cycling and electric buggy paths are integrated into the city to provide alternative modes of green transport, which is planned as primary and secondary hierarchy networks. These will give residents the most convenient, safe and carbon-emissions-free transport experience.

A-EV SHUTTLE

An autonomous E.V shuttle system will provide residents and visitors with convenient shuttle service and are well connected to all the hubs & facilities within the city. Each E.V shuttle stop is adjacent to a cycling and buggy station. The project also features an electric park & ride system for visitors.

DEDICATED TRACKS

The city provides 35 km of dedicated running and cycling tracks which are continuous and are integrated within the landscape design. A dedicated 9 km loop of equestrian track also connects with the equestrian center.

THE LANDSCAPE IS INTEGRATED WITH WATER
SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN, GREEN & BLUE
INFRASTRUCTURE TO CREATE A RESILIENT
& LIVEABLE CITY

LIVEABLE CITY

XZERO is planned through its landscape which plays the most important role in the entire project. As a Biophlilic city, the landscape design will provide various environmental, social and economic benefits for its residents such as reducing air pollution, promoting biodiversity, managing storm water, increasing social interaction and connecting the community together. XZERO also uses nature as a multi-functional natural system complimented by green and blue infrastructure.

As the heart and arteries to the entire project, the landscape will help create a carbon sink and minimise the carbon footprint whilst promoting a healthy living environment and enhancing local air quality. The car-free strategy and alternative modes of transport will further help reduce carbon emission.

The design was optimised to increase the portion of greenspace through optimisation of urban planning strategies such as density, land use distribution, mobility & building typologies. More than 65% of the land area is dedicated to open spaces, such as productive landscapes, non-productive landscapes, permeable pavements, sports fields, courtyards etc.

XZERO retains and enhances biodiversity, resilience & liveability  through its unique terrestrial environment. Rain gardens & bioretention areas are low-maintenance and require no irrigation, yet reduce the volume of runoff whilst creating habitat for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. Low-maintenance landscape, xeriscape and drought-tolerant planting will offer significantly less water consumption.

The landscape will also create a “cooler” community by lowering peak temperature within the city and mitigating the Urban Heat Islands. Trees and plants are chosen on their ability to be drought tolerant, provide shade, fix nitrogen in the soil, produce food and create habitat.

Ultimately the landscape has multiple uses. It connects residents with the various hubs within the city whilst serving as an educational tool by integrating and highlighting all the sustainability elements within the city.

Ultimately the landscape has multiple uses. It connects residents with the various hubs within the city whilst serving as an educational tool by integrating and highlighting all the sustainability elements within the city.

NEW BUILDING TYPOLOGIES THAT ENHANCE
QUALITY OF LIFE, RESILIENCE & SOCIAL
ENGAGEMENT ARE INTEGRATED IN THE HEART
OF THE CITY

RESILIENT CITY

XZERO has the capacity to maintain the same level of quality of life, should there be any future shocks or stresses to its environment. The project integrates blue and green infrastructure to create a resilient and liveable city.

The landscape is designed with large collection of engineered natural areas to provide variation of habitats for wildlife, rain water harvesting, mitigating flooding, better air quality and cleaner water.

To create a resilient urban environment, XZERO adopts holistic water sensitive urban design [WSUD] strategies which brings many benefits to its residents as well as the environment such as minimising discharge of stormwater, protecting and enhancing ecological assets and providing high quality of life to residents in any event. Constructed wadis, site topography, rainwater gardens, bioswales & permeable paving are just a few examples.

As a sponge city, XZERO makes the most use of any rainwater, reusing this free natural resource by storing, cleaning and harvesting this overlooked commodity.

The landscape focuses on water-sensitive urban design, through careful selection of plants and trees as well as the employing of smart irrigation systems and water retention strategies.

The Wadi plays a crucial role in stormwater management as both retention and infilteration system. This open channel is planned at the heart of the project, with the topography engineered to allow for runoff to be collected by the arteries which also features WSUD. The topography allows for the runoff to be directed naturally to the wadi. This holistic integrated natural systems provide for flow conveyance, sedimentation, infilteration and evapo-transpiration.

The mobility strategy, land use densification and landscape design strategy have created a cooler city though the generation of a micro climate within the development. The green spine that wraps around the city as well as the stabilization of soil with vegetation will ensure minimal dust concentrations inside the city.

Scalable food, energy and water farms, bioswales, planter boxes, rain gardens, permeable pavements, green roofs, efficient zero-waste management system are all fully integrated and are just some of the multifaceted solutions that are working together as a complete network to create one of the most resilient cities on earth.

THE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL WADI WILL
ENHANCE RESILIENCE & LIVEABILITY TO
CREATE A SPONGE CITY THAT PROMOTES
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT IN WATER
MANAGEMENT WHILST ALSO CREATING
VARIATION OF HABITATS FOR WILDLIFE

PRODUCTIVE CITY

XZERO is a productive city incorporating many different urban farming methods such as community gardens, bio domes, aquaponics, vertical farms, biosaline agriculture and world’s first scalable FEW+W Nexus farms.

The landscape is productive and features community gardens to promote social engagement and are great educational tools for children. Beyond creating an abundance of food for people, urban farming promotes healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, it inspires and educates youth, whilst bringing the community together. Urban farming is thus the social glue, increasing community cohesion and social interaction.

XZERO will also feature the world’s first scalable food-energy-water & waste farms which are linked to one another. The city also recycles rejected brine water from desalination to farm fish and halophytic plants like Quinoa and Salicornia. The city will produce healthy and nutritious food without a negative impact for the environment to promote sustainability, nutrition and food security.

Urban farming will strengthen the resilience of the city whilst providing youth with a sense of stewardship and better understanding of the food system.

Residents will receive their caloric intake from variation of locally grown produce including fruits, vegetables, leafy and micro-greens, mushrooms, poultry, fish, dairy etc. The city will feature innovative solutions of advancing the global transition to sustainable food systems.

Ultimately vertical farming and the latest agri-tech will provide higher yields and reductions in groundwater contamination from agriculture runoffs. Exponential water savings and increased nutritional density are also some additional benefits of vertical farming.

FOOD, ENERGY & WATER FARMS ARE INTEGRATED
WITHIN THE GREEN SPINE TO PROVIDE SECURITY
& GREEN ECONOMY

SMART CITY

The city has integrated technology such as Information Communication Technologies [ICT] and the Internet of Things [IoTs] into its hard and soft infrastructures. These technologies will transform the cities networks and services into a more efficient, intelligent and collaborative ecosystem.

At a city level, XZERO has a smart grid strategy in various layers such as energy, water, food, waste, air quality, health & wellbeing to provide resources more efficiently and equitably to residents. E.V charging stations, self driving cars & solar farms are just some of the components that will improve connectivity, sustainability, and livability.

XZERO will import yet export more renewable energy through a two-way grid system, thus creating a green economy for the city. Home energy-management solutions are enabled with transmission and distribution by the city’s smart solar grid systems. Homes are equipped with smart meters, network and security architectures, switching products and routing to create a renewable solar distributed generation grid.

XZERO also embeds sensors within its infrastructure which are connected to the IoTs and can communicate in real time to various components within the city. For example, waste can be collected upon receiving automatic notification that they are full. Real-time user data can be analysed to provide an estimate of the day and time of future waste collections.

Smart water systems will reduce resident water consumption. All bathrooms, kitchens, water features, irrigation systems and facilities will integrate highly efficient water saving technologies. Drinking water is also produced on-site through solar powered air-to-water generators.

At a building level, sensors play a key role. Indoor lighting and temperature can automatically be adjusted based on various variables. These variables include the number of occupants in a room, the time of day as well as exterior weather and light conditions. All buildings will have embedded sensors to detect motion, temperature, noise, moisture, fire, smoke etc… to provide real-time data and help improve operational efficiency, safety and security.

The city also adopts the world’s first high-tech scalable FEW+W smart urban farms which use saline water. In addition to biosaline agriculture, the city provides vertical farms, aquaponics, fish and dairy farms which will be enabled by data science, IoT, AI, and automation and are able to produce higher quality foods that are locally grown.

As a smart city, XZERO uses various technologies and will support start-ups and businesses in its green-tech hub to close the loop between food, water, energy, and waste. The institute will become the brain of the city and the educational tool for educating business on sustainable practices and to promote a bottom-up entrepreneurship. With conference and training facilities, the institute will also promote sustainability within the region to accelerate the transition towards sustainable development.

Ultimately XZERO will become a living lab, constantly monitoring the services & resources, using Artificial Intelligence for predictive analysis, piloting new innovations as well analysing user feedback in the city to evolve into the smartest city on earth.

XZERO IS A NEW PARADIGM IN GREEN
URBAN LIVING AND REPRESENTS
A QUANTUM SHIFT FROM
TRADITIONAL URBAN PLANNING

ECOTOURISM CITY

XZERO smart city will promote ecotourism to bring many benefits to the community whilst also enhancing travelers experience. As an edge-less city surrounded by a buffer of nature reserve and with hospitality components such as a 5star Eco resort and eco lodges as well as a nature conversation centre and an ecotourism visitor centre, XZERO will become a unique destination for travellers.

Sustainable tourism will increase employment and provide long-term income-earning opportunities for the community. The conservation centre will conserve natural heritage, biodiversity and local ecosystems with an aim to provide the same level of benefits to future generations. The green-tech hub will empower local businesses towards green practices to enable the growth of a sustainable travel & tourism sector which is growing faster than the global economy and most other major industries.

The ecotourism visitor centre will monitor the impacts associated with tourism activities within the city, as well as providing preventive measures without compromising traveler’s satisfaction. The centre will also educate travellers as well as school children on minimsing their impact on the environment, thus will become an edutainment attraction.

XZERO WILL BECOME A NEW BENCHMARK
MODEL FOR ZERO-CARBON CITY DESIGN
AND A PROACTIVE RESPONSE TO THE
WORLD’S CLIMATE CHANGE THREAT