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Towards the Second Sustainable City in the Middle East:
Retransforming Ras El Khaimah Costal City with the
Estidama First Model of the Abu Dhabi Master Plan 2030

International Journal of Aia Sherif1*, Hagar M. Shalaby2, and Hasim Altan1
Environment and 1Sustainable Design of the Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering & IT, the
Sustainability [IJES] British University in Dubai, Dubai, UAE
ISSN 1927-9566 2Architectural department, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University,
Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 30-44 Alexandria, Egypt
(2016)
Abstract. The new Pearl Rating System (PRS) consists of three rating stages—
design, construction and, operation—and is the core of the UAE Estidama
program that was introduced under the vision of the Abu Dhabi master plan
2030 "Towards the 1st Sustainable Capital in the Middle East". By monitoring
every stage in a building life cycle, the system will guarantee applying all
development aspects in a sustainable manner. As one of the fastest-developing
countries in the Middle East, and rushing to be one of the best developed
countries in the region, having one city as the first sustainable capital is not
enough for conserving the heritage, culture, and the unique virgin environment
of the Arabian Gulf western shore. A small city such as Ras El Khaimah, with its
few resources and richness with desert-hidden treasures, is a good second
candidate for the application of the vision of the Abu Dhabi 2030 Estidama
program. This paper will present two detailed analytical studies regarding the
Abu Dhabi master plan 2030 and Ras El Khaimah’s current situation in order to
investigate the challenges facing the sustainable development in the city under
the Estidama program. The aim is to generate a guideline and provide a set of
recommendations that can take care of the development process while applying
the Pearl Rating System and the UAE Estidama program. With a population
somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 (2010), Ras El Khaimah has
maintained its original Emirati character in a unique manner that manages
modern architectural style without distracting from the traditional image of the
city. This small, coastal city has good potential along with many challenges due
to the lack of natural resources and closed community. The UAE federal
government system will face a challenge against the application of the Abu Dhabi
Estidama model. However, such cases are proof that sustainability is the most
efficient solution for developing traditional communities with their own empty
hands.

Keywords. sustainable development, Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, Ras Al Khaimah,
Pearl Rating System (PRS), Estidama

*Correspondence:

aia.m.sherif@gmail.com

1. Introduction Council (GCC), which it joined back in 1981, as
the council was established and announced in
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an Arabian Abu Dhabi on the 11th of February 1981. The
country located in the southeast end of the UAE is now leading a regional and international
Arabian Gulf and is surrounded by Oman from initiative in the field of sustainable develop-
the northeast, east, and southeast; Saudi Arabia ment. Taking into consideration that it is only
from the south and west; and the gulf waters 44 years old, the UAE is one of the first
from the north. It is considered one of the most
important countries of the Gulf Countries