S_09 – THE INNOVATION OF URBAN PLANNING TOOLS FOR ENERGY-RESILIENT CITIES
Guida Carmen (University of Naples Federico II), Gargiulo Carmela (University of Naples Federico II), Cutini Valerio (University of Pisa), Zazzi Michele (University of Parma), Zucaro Floriana (University of Naples Federico II) and Carpentieri Gerardo (University of Naples Federico II)
This session aims at fostering the discussion concerning the role of urban planning and its tools in increasing resilience and limiting vulnerabilities of urban environments towards the current energy crisis.
The greater population density in urban centres can lower some forms of energy consumption, for example, by increasing public transport and promoting the use of smaller, more compact dwellings. Thus, greater density and urbanization also tend to raise productivity, increasing incomes and total demand for energy services, including heating, cooling, lighting, power and transportation. Hence, on the one hand, existing social and economic inequalities seem to have been exacerbated in urban areas; on the other, cities may have the solutions to use this crisis as a historical turning point and be able to develop a green, resilient and affordable energy system.
Urban planning policies are urgently needed in order to, on the one hand, combat energy poverty and, on the other, not lose sight of ecological and energy transition goals, especially in cities with a consolidated (physical, functional and socio-anthropic) fabric and a narrow range of possible urban transformations.
Hence, new methodologies are required to translate the knowledge of energy-inefficient urban areas into operative planning tools to support decision-making processes.
Given these premises, experiences from research, education and practice are welcome to contribute to the discussion on the innovation of urban planning tools supporting the transition of cities to climate change impacts. Particular attention will be given to contributions that, starting from solid ground-based methodologies to assess the risk of urban areas, manage to provide multidisciplinary takeaways for urban planning practice to enhance cities’ energy performance.
Keywords:
Energy crisis; urban resilience; urban planning tools