About This QuizXeritown is a green village planned in the United Arab Emirates. Is an environmentally-friendly village in the desert really a possibility? Take this quiz to test your knowledge about the plans for Xeritown.
Where is Xeritown to be located?
Xeritown will be located on the outskirts of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The community is planned to be built on a plot of desert consisting of 59 hectares.
What is the highest daily temperature in the area where Xeritown will sit?
100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius)
110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius)
120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius)
Temperatures in the Xeritown area can reach as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) in the daytime. It's a genuine challenge to build livable dwellings in the desert with temperatures that are so hot.
How much average rainfall do most deserts receive?
10 inches a year (25.4 centimeters)
15 inches a year (38.1 centimeters)
The average rainfall in most of the world’s deserts is about 15 inches (38.1 centimeters) per year. This explains why almost nothing grows in the deserts and why sandstorms are frequent.
20 inches a year (50.8 centimeters)
What is a common name given to people that spend their lives in the desert without special buildings?
Nomads are noted for spending their lives in the desert. They generally live in tents and tend to drift across the desert much like the sands.
On what do nomads rely for sustenance?
plants that grow near desert oases
small livestock herds
Nomads raise small herds of livestock on semiarid land that they find in the desert. It's a meager living, which causes them to be constantly on the move to compensate for the constantly changing environment.
What is the principal behind the design of the proposed Xeritown?
to take advantage of the desert in ways that will achieve self-sustainability.
The goal in the design of Xeritown is take advantage of the desert environment to make the area enjoyable to live in without using massive amounts of energy. Other desert cities are criticized for their excessive use of energy with little regard for the environment.
a geostatic dome that uses photovoltaic cells to generate electricity for cooling
solar technologies to create a cool environment using less energy than a typical city
What is xeriscaping?
planting moss and lichen to reduce use of water for irrigation.
using drought-resistant plants that are planted in a way to efficiently use water
Xeriscaping focuses on using drought-resistant plants that are planted in a way that makes efficient use of as little water as possible.
using volcanic rock and perforated plastic channels around plants to retain water
What is another aspect of xeriscaping that people?
It's ideally suited to climates with extreme temperature changes.
It produces intensely colored blooms and foliage.
Plants require very little care after the initial planting.
Xeriscaping requires little care or intervention because plants are planted in a similar fashion to the way a natural forest or meadow grows, which certainly are beautiful without any help from humans.
What will make Xeritown different from any other city located in an arid environment?
Parks and sidewalks will be underground.
All the buildings will be coated with reflective paint.
The town will use natural and fabricated solutions to promote a low energy cooling effect.
Xeritown will use natural and fabricated solutions to promote a low-energy cooling effect. Architects plan to use nature to provide as much cooling as possible.
How do the architects plan to cool Xeritown naturally and without using excessive amounts of energy from fossil fuels?
The buildings are oriented to suck cool air from the sea between islands of development.
The buildings in Xeritown will be designed on a north-south axis so the cool air from the Persian Gulf will be naturally sucked between the buildings. People on the street will feel a cool breeze most of the time.
Water from the sea will be circulated under streets and sidewalks to cool the air temperature.
Photovoltaic panels in a solar farm and on building roofs will provide low-cost energy for cooling.
How will hot winds be dealt with in Xeritown?
Xeritown will be built behind massive sand dunes that naturally block the desert winds.
Building heights will be low and at an angle designed to push the hot desert air up and over Xeritown.
Buildings and towers in Xeritown will be low-rise and built at an angle facing the desert that is designed to push hot desert air up and over the town. Residents should only be exposed to cool gulf breezes.
After cool breezes from the Persian Gulf pass between the buildings, they will push hot desert air up and away.
How do architects plan to shade the streets, sidewalks and parks?
Thousands of palm trees planted through the development will provide shade from the sun.
Tinted translucent panels that look like ship sails will be installed at angles to block the sun.
Groupings of giant flat circles will hang over the sidewalks in areas not shaded by buildings.
Groupings of giant flat circles described as looking similar to lily pads will hang over the sidewalks in areas that are not shaded by buildings. There will not be any palm trees since they require a lot of water and energy to maintain.
How do architects plan to light the streets in Xeritown?
solar panels that provide electricity for traditional street lights
dimmable light-emitting diodes
The plan is for all street lighting to make use of dimmable light-emitting diodes. Light-emitting diodes are energy-efficient, and the lights are dimmed late at night, saving even more electricity.
sodium vapor lamps
Where will water come from to maintain the plants used for xeriscaping?
the Persian Gulf
treated water from sewage
gray water or industrial wastewater
Water for watering xeriscaping will come from grey water and industrialized wastewater. Plants will be watered with treated water from washing clothes, sinks, baths and showers that is piped separately from sewage.
What was the percentage rate of economic growth in 2007 that made Dubai famous the world over?
Dubai had an incredible economic growth rate of 16 percent in 2007. That was enough to account for the world’s highest growth rate, almost double that of the next closest competitor, China.