Qatar - Highest Per Capita CO2 Output On Earth, But Hey, Here's A Faux Downtown With Solar Panels!

DOHA, March 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - During Doha's sweltering summers, when temperatures can hit 45 degrees Celsius and steamy humidity makes the air feel even hotter, museum manager Fahad Al-Turky tends to drive a lot and stay mainly indoors. But staying cool is getting easier in Msheireb Downtown Doha - an under-construction district of the capital where he works.

Developers of the 76-acre regeneration zone, which aims to become "one of the largest sustainable cities in the world", are outfitting it with green features, from rainwater harvesting to shady overhangs that make walking outside cooler. "To be able to walk to get coffee outside or to a restaurant - it is a different kind of experience," said Al-Turkey, 30. Around Doha's traditional office towers, he said, "there really isn't much shade".

Many of the more than 100 buildings in Msheireb - apartments, offices, hotels, a shopping mall and a primary school - are fitted with solar panels, solar water heaters and overhangs designed to shade the surrounding sidewalks.

The mixed-use district - eight years in construction and preparing for its first residents this spring - also has hidden features, such as underground waste collection stations, and will connect to planned public transport in the city.

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http://news.trust.org/item/20190301042056-8cj9l/