Archive for the ‘Research’ Category
Research refers to reports by organisations or research by academic institutions relating to urban sustainability issues. If you have research that relates to urban sustainability issues and could benefit people and organisations that are relevant to cities around the world, please post this information on SustainableCitiesNet.com. To do so visit the “How to use this site†page and follow the prompts.
Climate Change: A Brief Introduction
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 24th, 2010
Source: Food Climate Research Network
Rothamsted Research has put an really useful new document up on its website called: Climate Change- a brief introduction for scientists and engineers – or anyone else who has to do something about it.
The document has been written by David Jenkinson, a Rothamsted senior fellow. It provides a detailed but accessible walk-through of the hows and whats and whys and wheres of climate change. Its chapters cover the following:
- Chapter 1 – the science of climate change (solar radiation, the greenhouse effect, radiative forcing etc, long term climate variations etc)
- Chapter 2 – the greenhouse gases (water; sources and sinks of CO2 methane, nitrous oxide; halocarbons, ozone, aerosols)
- Chapter 3 – how people use energy (fossil fuel combustion, reserves, per capita emissions)
- Chapter 4 – using models to forecast future climate (models for temperature, precipitation, sea level, extreme weather etc)
- Chapter 5 – reducing the release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere (transport, buildings, industry, electricity generation, carbon capture, agriculture, deforestation)
- Chapter 6 – geoengineering as a way of counteracting climate change (biological and chemical sequestration, solar iradiation measures)
- Chapter 7 – energy from biomass (current
- Chapter 8 – sources of energy that do not depend on carbon (nuclcear fusion and fission, hydroelectricity, wind, wave, solar, tidal, geogrhermal and others)
- Chapter 9 – adapting to climate change (population growth, sea level rise, water, food security)
- Chapter 10 – economic incentives to reduce emissions (economic tools, the Kaya Identity)
To download the document go to: http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/aen/reviews/Climate_Change_Draft_B03.pdf
Source: Tara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network
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Zero Carbon Britain 2030: Report
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 22nd, 2010
zerocarbonbritain2030 provides political and economic solutions to the urgent challenges raised by the climate science, outlining how we can transform the UK into an efficient, clean, prosperous zero-carbon society. Covering energy, transport, land use, the built environment and industry, each chapter of the report has been written by bringing together the UK’s leading thinkers in their field including policy makers, scientists, academics, industry and NGOs.
zerocarbonbritain2030 is a fully integrated solution to climate change. It examines how we can meet our electricity and heating requirements through efficient service provision, while still decreasing carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other emissions.
The report starts by examining the current “Context” in the Climate Science and Energy Security chapters. It then moves on to how we can “PowerDown” heat and electricity demand largely through new technology, efficient design and behaviour change. The “Land Use & Agriculture” section considers the tremendous potential of the land not only to decrease emissions but also to sequester residual emissions. We then move on to how we can “PowerUp” through the use of renewable technology. Finally we examine the policy that can help bring this about and the job creation that will come with it, in the “Framework, policy and economics” section.
A full copy of the new report is available as a free pdf , or buy a printed copy from the Centre for Alternative Technology.
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Real-Time Informatics for a “New Soft City”
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 21st, 2010
Source: The City Fix
Image from New Soft City – Keynote presentation by Dan Hill
From “Real-Time Informatics for a “New Soft City” ” by Erica Schlaikjer
What if cities could talk? Or transit systems could tell you how they’re feeling? Sounds crazy, but it’s not that far-fetched. “Urban informatics” could change the way people understand and interact with cities, says Dan Hill, a designer, urbanist and senior consultant at Arup in Sydney. He explains the idea of projecting real-time data onto the physical environment of a city, such as a lamppost or observation tower, in order to enliven public space, improve the mass transit experience, and transform the way citizens relate to their urban surroundings. Data, which exist all around us, would be accessible to everyone, rather than contained on a mobile device, such as an iPhone or laptop.
Just imagine if you could use light projections, e-ink, or LEDs to display a “smart meter” of energy consumption on the outside of your home. What would change? Research shows that friendly neighborhood competition can actually breed energy-saving behavior.
Likewise, imagine if cities provided free wireless Internet connectivity outdoors and in other civic spaces, like atriums, libraries and shopping malls, to encourage people to spend time socializing outside of their personal bubble at work or at home. They would literally interact with the city. Public spaces could become friendlier, safer, cleaner and more attractive. It could improve people’s health and well-being. Read the rest of this entry »
Finding the Plot: Event Report
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 17th, 2010
Source: SustainWeb
Image: © RISC
In October 2009, Local Action on Food (LAF) and Women’s Environmental Network organized an event (Finding the Plot) aimed at community groups wanting to set up food growing projects in urban areas. The day looked at the challenges that groups face and provided an opportunity to share experience and skills. The final report outlines the presentations made by the speakers, and includes links to available on-line copies. The report is a valuable resource as it contains references to a wide range of case studies and projects in the UK, and discusses common issues encountered by community food groups at various stages of development.
Download Finding the Plot: access to land for food growing groups in urban areas – final report
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100% renewables by 2050: Low-carbon Europe
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 4th, 2010
Source: Environmental Research Web
© RoadMap 2050 EU Energy Network
Europe could switch to low carbon sources of electricity, with up to 100% coming from renewables by 2050, without risking energy reliability or pushing up energy bills, according to a major new study, Roadmap 2050: a practical guide to a prosperous, low-carbon Europe, developed by the European Climate Foundation (ECF) with contributions from McKinsey, KEMA, Imperial College London and Oxford Economics. It says that a transition to a low- or zero-carbon power supply based on high levels of renewable energy would have no impact on reliability, and would have little overall impact on the cost of generating electricity.
Matt Phillips, a senior associate with the ECF, said: “When the Roadmap 2050 project began it was assumed that high-renewable energy scenarios would be too unstable to provide sufficient reliability, that high-renewable scenarios would be uneconomic and more costly, and that technology breakthroughs would be required to move Europe to a zero-carbon power sector. Roadmap 2050 has found all of these assertions to be untrue.” (As quoted by BusinessGreen.com).
ECF claimed that the widely held assumption that renewable energy is always more costly than fossil fuels is increasingly outdated, arguing that while the initial capital investment needed for low carbon energy infrastructure is more than for conventional high carbon system, the long term operating costs for low carbon energy will be lower. As a result of this, the reduction in use of increasingly expensive fuels and the gradual adoption of more efficient energy generation and using systems, it says that, although initially the GDP might be depressed very slightly, from 2020 it would rise and in the 2030 to 2050 period, the cost of energy per unit of GDP output could be about 20 to 30% lower.
Read the full article on Environmental Research Web.
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Allotment Gardens: Social-ecological Resilience
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 3rd, 2010
Source: Stockholm Resilience Centre
Image: beachcomber1954 via flickr CC
From “Urban gardens key in times of crisis“:
Allotment gardens have often been sources of local resilience during periods of crisis. During World War I the number of allotment gardens surged from 600,000 to 1,500,000 in Britain, supplying city people with food and other ecosystem services. The gardens were planted in parks and sports fields, and even Buckingham Palace turned up the earth to grow vegetables. After declining abruptly in the 1920s and 1930s, World War II saw a new explosion in the numbers of allotment gardens in cities of Britain and other parts of Europe.
The story above is told in a new seminal article (Social–ecological memory in urban gardens—Retaining the capacity for management of ecosystem services) by centre researchers Stephan Barthel, Carl Folke and Johan Colding.
The article, which is in press in Global Environmental Change, investigates where and how ecological practices, knowledge and experience are retained and transmitted in allotment gardens in the urban area of Stockholm. It is the first study ever to really analyse in-depth the concept of “social-ecological memory” as the carrier of ecological knowledge and practices that enable sustainable stewardship of nature. Linking back to the story of allotment gardens during the World Wars, the specific aim of the new study has been to explore how management practices, which are linked to ecosystem services, are retained and stored among people, and modified and transmitted through time.
The Real Value of Cycling: Evidence-based report
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on June 1st, 2010
Source: vicstig Sustainable Transport Interest Group
From “Benefits of bike network far outweigh cost, says study” by Matthew Moore:
AN INNER-CITY network of bike paths would deliver economic benefits more than triple the cost of building it, according to the first full economic appraisal of cycleways in Australia. The report, commissioned by the City of Sydney and to be released today {14-05-10}, says the 293-kilometre network proposed by 15 councils would deliver $506 million in economic benefits to the community over 30 years, $3.88 for every dollar spent.
The report, produced by the economic research firm AECOM, seeks to quantify the cost and likely benefits of building 160 kilometres of cycleways separated from general traffic and a further 70 kilometres of shared paths running from Kogarah to Chatswood and from Watsons Bay to Rhodes. Even if building costs were higher that expected, the benefits of the network would far outweigh the costs, with quicker trips delivering savings of $211 million, or 30.9 per cent of the total, health benefits after deductions for injuries estimated at $147 million and decongestion benefits at $98 million, the report says.
It says one of the biggest economic benefits would come from improved ”journey ambience”, or cycling free from the fear of being hit by cars, a pleasure it says is worth $139 million, or nearly 20 per cent of all savings. AECOM’s principal economist, Katie Feeney, who is one of the report’s authors, said the ”journey ambience” benefit was an attempt to put a value on an economic benefit that was hard to quantify and was calculated by working out what people would be prepared to pay for the improved experience. ”It’s best practice internationally to assign a value to the improved travelling experience of separated cycleways,” Ms Feeney said.
Read the full article by Matthew Moore.
Read the AECOM report on scribd.
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Urban Planning in Developing Countries: Innovative Design
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on May 19th, 2010
“…a flexible building design that would allow residents to expand their homes upwards by up to three floors – as and when their families grow – and create socially and economically successful communities that are as dense as, or even denser, than buildings that are up to six floors high.”
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From “Innovative design could transform urban planning in developing countries“:
A new vision of urban planning that will positively transform the way cities grow across the developing world in the 21st Century was presented in a study issued today {18/03/2010}. The vision involves a flexible building design that would allow residents to expand their homes upwards by up to three floors – as and when their families grow – and create socially and economically successful communities that are as dense as, or even denser, than buildings that are up to six floors high. The new design, which promises a brighter future for millions of the world’s poorest urban citizens, is detailed in a study and multimedia collection funded by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Its launch today coincides with the opening of the United Nations Fifth World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro, where thousands of delegates from governments, academia and nongovernmental organisations will discuss solutions to the challenges of urbanization.
Among those challenges is the question of how best to increase urban population densities as populations grow and land prices rise, especially when large informal settlements of the urban poor occupy prime centrally located land. In many cities in Asia and elsewhere, governments are keen to force these poor communities into high-rise apartments so that the land they currently occupy can be developed into condominiums and iconic buildings to attract foreign investment. “In promoting such a vision of a modern world-class city, international financial institutions and city planners are failing the poorest communities and ensuring that those who are meant to gain the most are instead the biggest losers,” says architect Arif Hasan, a visiting fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development and lead author of the new study.
Urban Planet Atlas: Online Tool for Sustainable Development
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on May 13th, 2010
Source: Stockholm Resilience Centre
© Stockholm Resilience Centre
The world is turning increasingly urban with more than 5 billion people projected to live in cities in 2030. More than 300 cities have already a population of more than 1 million and 20 megacities exceed 10 million. Urban landscapes everywhere are changing faster than we can understand the diverse forces that are conditioning these changes. Coinciding with the “Better city, better life” theme of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, Stockholm Resilience Centre launched the first version of the online platform Urban Planet.
The platform, which was presented at the Swedish pavilion virtual exhibition, provides an innovative and attractive learning environment with interactive statistics, maps, and best practices in the field of urban sustainability. It focuses on the the close connections between social and natural systems, and on the fundamental role ecosystem services play for human wellbeing. Urban Planet makes it possible for citizens, policy-makers and scientists to get involved early in the processes of creating a sustainable urban environment, says project leader Danil Lundback.
With case studies and real live illustrations from all over the world, the Urban Planet provides ways to involve different stakeholders in sustainable urban planning.
Read the full article.
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Sustainable Lifestyles- Context, Practice and Policy: Resolve Seminar
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on May 12th, 2010
Source: Food Climate Research Network
Image: periwinklekog via flickr CC
“…the breadth of environmental issues such as climate change can often lead to conflict between different forms of environmental practice (such as travel behaviours, waste management and energy conservation) in different social contexts (e.g. within and beyond the ‘home’ environments).”
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Encouraging environmentally responsible and ‘low carbon’ lifestyles is now a centre-piece of UK policy for sustainable development (DEFRA, 2005). DEFRA’s current Framework for Environmental Behaviours (DEFRA, 2008) has embedded a social marketing approach towards behaviour change in which segmentation plays a key role in identifying and targeting population groups with specific characteristics. Using data collected from several research projects exploring environmental behaviour in both home-based and tourism contexts, this presentation will argue that whilst segmentation may have a valuable role to play in understanding and promoting specific behaviours in particular contexts, the breadth of environmental issues such as climate change can often lead to conflict between different forms of environmental practice (such as travel behaviours, waste management and energy conservation) in different social contexts (e.g. within and beyond the ‘home’ environments).
Stewart Barr is Senior Lecturer and head of the Climate Change and Sustainability Research Group at the University of Exeter’s School of Geography. His research is focused on the intellectual and policy debates surrounding the understanding and promotion of environmentally responsible behaviour. His research has been funded by a number of organisations, including the Economic and Social Research Council, DEFRA, British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust. His current research is focused on understanding sustainable travel behaviour, alongside long-term interests in waste management and recycling, energy use and water conservation.
Wednesday 19 May, 2010, 1300-1400, 45b AZ 04, University of Surrey, UK
For more information contact Gemma Cook, RESOLVE coordinator on 01483 686689 or g.cook@surrey.ac.uk
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