Urban Environmental Problems: Energy Consumption

This summary is about saving energy in urban settings. The argument is that technology, certification, and social sciences can help government officials to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency. Saving energy is not only a technical issue. To address it properly it is necessary to “analyze how energy intersects with everyday life through diverse and culturally inscribed practices such as heating and cooling, cooking, lighting, washing, bathing, working, and entertaining” (Guy, 2006). In order to understand this intersection, “methods and theories beyond science and economics such as sociology, anthropology, geography, psychology, and cultural studies” should be added in energy saving discussions (Guy, 2006). Alternatively, one can view cities as “organic systems that have their own metabolism” (UN-Habitat, 2009). This metabolism involves “physical inputs of energy, water and materials that are consumed and transformed, by means of technological and biological systems, into wastes and goods, or the city’s outputs” (UN-Habitat, 2009). The concern of policy-makers during this thermodynamic system is the efficiency of this system (UN-Habitat, 2009). From a technological standpoint, investments in infrastructure improve energy efficiency. The State of Hawaii and the Republic of South Korea signed an agreement to pursue a smart grid development in the Hawaiian Islands (Abercrombie, 2012). Also, few cities around the world are creating “platforms that streamline data gathering and support all kinds of applications that help turn cities into a “control system” that makes use of data from a variety of sources, from mobile phones to smart meters and sensors in buildings” (The Economist, 2010). Certification for green buildings has also gained momentum. The challenge for green buildings, though, is “lowering the costs of developing and certifying green buildings not just in terms of construction practice but also in policy and planning practice” (Retzlaff, 2009). Investment in energy efficiency does not necessarily mean reduction of energy costs. In China, for instance, “property developers have underestimated the demand for energy-efficient buildings” (Li, 2009). In addition, “there is no efficient market guidance for energy-efficient buildings” (Li, 2009). In China, the solution is the provision of more “education, training courses, research and development” and “the media sector should devote more resources to the promotion of energy-efficient buildings” (Li, 2009). References: Abercrombie, N. “Governor Abercrombie Secures Agreement with Republic of Korea for Smart Grid Development”, February 3, 2012. Guy, S. “Designing urban knowledge: competing perspectives on energy and buildings”, Environment and Planning, v. 24, pp. 645-659, 2006. Li, B.; Yao, R. “Urbanisation and its impact on building energy consumption and efficiency in China”, Renewable Energy, v. 34, pp. 1994-1998, 2009. Retzlaff, R. “The use of LEED in Planning and Development Regulation: An Exploratory Analysis”, Journal of Planning Education and Research, v. 29, pp. 67-77, 2009. The Economist. “Living on a platform”, November 4, 2010. UN-Habitat. “State of the World’s Cities”, Harmonious Cities, 2009.