Salah Al Din Modern City (SADMC)
“An iconic city to bring peace, prosperity, stability, and national pride.” – James Andrews
Following years of domestic and international strife, this proud nation needs Transformation. The situation in Iraq today is exceptionally complex; recent events have left the region in need of a strategic, sustainable master planning effort to build 21st-century model communities. With its rich heritage and robust natural resources, there is an opportunity to make a social and economic model while rebuilding the “The City by The River.”
DijlahAM has prepared a business model and master plan that addresses both the opportunities and challenges of Iraq today. We propose to deploy our first project in Salah Al Din.
The Major Factors in Salah Al Din Today Are:
· Large areas of underutilized land
· Huge supplies of natural gas (now mostly flared)
· Large proven oil reserves
· Water supply problems
· Electricity shortages
· High underemployment and unemployment pool housing stock and public buildings are in disrepair
· A large proportion of its oil is refined outside of the country
The DijlahAM Solution:
The DijlahAM master plan and business model for Salah Al Din Modern City (SDMC) makes use of Iraq’s great strengths and plentiful natural resources to leverage reconstruction. It also addresses many pressing problems.
The DijlahAM Masterplan:
· Build a modern water treatment plant and an advanced solar electrical plant.
· Generate a robust, uninterrupted supply of electricity to the region.
· Address the shortage of clean drinking water and irrigation needs.
· Provide a supply of top-quality industrial hubs locally and internationally.
· Utilize unproductive land on both banks of Tigris river to build a modern city of Salah Al Din, and an international airport.
· Create large numbers of good-paying jobs
· Develop and retain wealth in the region.
· Realize a major income stream to local and national governments.
· Provide high-quality education for children and adults.
· Establish affordable, world-class healthcare facilities.
· Build a secure, safe, clean, and comfortable, walkable cities.
· Maintain frequent training and research programs.
· Allow inhabitants to own their homes for small, monthly mortgage payments.
· Give hope and bright future to the people of Salah Al Din.
Design & Scale:
A true sense of peace – utilizing the canals and the creation of a series of oases will connect the people to water and agriculture, celebrating the historically important development patterns of the region.
A walkable city – safe, neighborhood-focused patterns allow for phasing and long-term expansion of the city. Transport will be provided by autonomous vehicles, electric buses, hybrid service vehicles, and tramways; the city will be a car-free city.
A sustainable city – every aspect of the design, from the infrastructure to the housing typologies will utilize best practices combined with traditional vernacular patterns. The site is located on both sides of the banks of the Tigris river. The proposed location makes it possible to bring canals into the city as both an amenity and an agricultural water source; there is also the potential to distribute some of the city’s freight.
The city will be built in phases and become home to 100,000 people. The first phase would consist of 40,000 dwelling units occupied by some 200,000 people. This phase would also include:
· Schools and training facilities.
· Healthcare facilities.
· Retail and commercial centers.
· Recreational facilities.
· Civic infrastructure to manage and operate a city.
Phasing:
The development model starts with the notion “Build it and they will come” but that will develop as the local economy and the specific needs of the people evolve.
Phase 1
· Water purification facilities (100 million gallons per day).
· Transportation connections.
· Prepare the land for agriculture development – Creating jobs and a new series of businesses. This infrastructure construction will supply immediate jobs, clean water, and stable power for future developments. This critical infrastructure will also cash flow the development of the following phases.
Phase 2
· Water Treatment Plant
· 3,000 MW Power Plant
· Sewage Treatment Plant
· Canal construction
Construction of Phase 2 of the Salah Al Din Modern City – providing construction training and jobs, and in turn providing homes for up to 200,000 people and associated civic needs e.g. medical, security, education, commercial, civic and religious.
Phase 3
Phase 3 of the Salah Al Din Modern City – with the industrial complex ( Factories), power plants, and agriculture to provide opportunities for the city to grow to 500,000 people. The city housing and associated facilities will expand, and other business opportunities will be recognized and accommodated.
· Factories to support the oil and agricultural industries
· International Airport
· The goal of the new city is that it develops its own unique patterns as its communities and culture are strengthened. Also, to construct a city with 100,000 homes for 500,000 inhabitants with the Al Marai Dairy Farm of Saudi Arabia we can produce enough protein and fresh food for the city.
Conclusion
The Salah Al Din Modern City will help provide water and energy surety and a diverse range of new jobs for the region that will be the platform for social transformation. Building upon that platform the Salah Al Din Modern City will provide a beautiful, safe, sustainable environment in which people can thrive.
· Education and Research will offer the opportunity for local people to both create and seize new opportunities.
· Strong communities with civic cores will help reestablish pride in the culture.
· Sustainable housing options will provide a safe haven for multiple generations and an opportunity to build a strong social platform.
· The Masterplan has been developed over the last two years in consultation with both local and international designers and researchers. While many of the attributes and needs are similar, the goal of each of the cities is that they provide specific solutions to that region’s goals. Each city will be understandably unique in its layout, its climatic response, its cultural identity, and its programmatic needs.
· The local agreements, conceptual masterplan, and financial structure have been honed over the last two years. The next stage of the project is to secure the identified land areas and the capacity of oil, gas, and water needed for the project to proceed to its next stage of feasibility
