Although urban areas cover only 3% of the earth’s land surface, they are responsible for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) from energy use. Cities are versatile, dynamic and complex. Therefore, implementations of low carbon initiatives at city scale are challenging and at times impractical. From the local administration perspective, the precinct scale represents a manageable operational scale for governance, urban planning and socio-technical innovations. There are various methods for quantification of GHGE at building, precinct, city and national scales, but few target the complexity and dynamics of the urban area, especially at the precinct scale. The aim of this paper is to identify a suitable quantification method for the precinct scale. The method should be able to determine the changes in GHGE due to implementations of low carbon policies and other strategies. This paper reviews the available methods for quantification of GHGE and highlights their challenges and limitations. Since urban areas need a system thinking approach, this review outlines how the methods analyse complex systems, such as System Dynamics (SD).
Financing the upfront costs of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in buildings can be a significant barrier to the expansion of sustainable, low carbon buildings, despite this being a low-cost option on the carbon abatement curve. Systematic literature on...Read more
Industry misconceptions around high cost and poor market interest in energy efficient homes continue to obstruct the mass adoption of low carbon housing. Josh’s House demonstrates that low carbon housing is accessible and cost effective. The Star Performers series showcases how...Read more
A rapid review on green-rated office buildings, and their operational energy use, found that the conclusions of six studies ranged from the certified buildings performing worse, similarly or much better than the non-certified buildings in terms of energy usage intensity. Two...Read more
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) in urban energy systems requires the implementation of alternative infrastructure configurations across different geographical, technical and social scales. Furthermore, alternative configurations may improve systems resilience and democratization of service provision.
This document is a resource for anyone planning or assessing new low carbon precincts. Its advice complements existing policy and may be of use to developers, planners, policy makers and the community—anyone who is seeking to understand how to create sustainable urban outcomes.
This guide has been developed to help speed a transition to sustainable urban development in two key environmental domains related to resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for Australia’s cities.
This book focuses on the challenge that Australia faces in transitioning to renewable energy and regenerating its cities via a transformation of its built environment. It identifies innovative and effective pathways for decarbonising the built environment from applied research undertaken by the Co-Operative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living.