Urban - Haggard Earth

Details: Written by: Glenn and Rick; Category: Urban; Hits: 166

The city of sustainable skyscrapers. BBC 9 February 2021 Matthew Keegan Hong Kong, the world's capital of tall buildings, is turning up the dial on high-rise sustainable design, as the city aims for net-zero emissions by 2050. Looking out over Hong Kong's iconic skyline from the viewing deck of its tallest skyscraper, the 118-storey International Commerce Centre (ICC), it's clear why Hong Kong is known as the world's most vertical city. In every direction you look, countless high-rise buildings are stacked side by side, clustered together, like a real-world version of the game Tetris. In fact, Hong Kong is home to more skyscrapers than anywhere else. While many are impressive feats of construction and have become iconic features of the skyline, the city's 42,000 buildings – including about 8,000 high-rises, of which more than 1,500 are skyscrapers exceeding 100m (328ft) in height – consume up to 90% of the city's electricity and contribute to 60% of the city's greenhouse gas emissions. With limited land supply, building upwards is Hong Kong's only option. But in a world responding to the climate crisis, towering skyscrapers that use massive amounts of energy and materials to construct and operate may look increasingly out of place – particularly given that Hong Kong itself has set a target to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The problem leaves many asking how sustainable skyscrapers can really be. But there are signs of hope in Hong Kong, which has a thriving green building movement and is committed to making its vast number of skyscrapers more energy efficient. You need look no further than ICC, which at 484m (1,590ft) is the city's tallest skyscraper and also its tallest green building. Making use of the latest smart technologies to be more energy efficient, the ICC is recognised in the top 3% of green buildings around the globe. Inside the 118-storey building, a network of sensors is installed, often wirelessly, across different facilities and equipment, including lighting, elevators, escalators and air-conditioning units. This network provides large quantities of data that enable real-time energy consumption monitoring. Informed by the data, the property management team is able to shut down certain facilities, including lights, lifts and escalators when they are not needed, in order to save energy. "We use Internet of Things (IoT) technology to analyse big data collected through a mobile digital system for energy efficiency optimisation in the building," says Edward Tsui, managing director of Intelligent Technologies, which oversees the ICC's IoT data system. "We can see the energy performance across every zone in the building and optimise the system to perform better.

"It's like a body check, if you like, of the building," says Tsui. "Every single day we can monitor what the energy savings are. If we see any abnormal activities we can reset or we can do some quick maintenance before it really wastes any energy."The data collected is also used to prioritise any maintenance they do on the building in addition to retro-commissioning – a process to improve the efficiency of an existing building's equipment and systems by fine-tuning it rather than replacing it. Keeping skyscrapers cool is perhaps the most difficult challenge, especially since most are covered in glass. While floor-to-ceiling windows enable better views and natural light, this can also create a greenhouse effect caused by solar radiation, and air-conditioning systems require huge amounts of energy to operate. At ICC, air-con consumes a staggering 70% of the building's total energy. But with smart IoT devices built into the building's air-handling systems, the building's team is able to monitor each floor in real-time to see the temperature, levels of pollutants, and how much cooling energy is being used. It also means they can control the air distribution to different office floors in order to further optimise the energy usage of the building.

Since 2012, through various energy saving measures, ICC has conserved 15 million kWh of energy, equivalent to the total annual electricity consumption of more than 4,500 three-member households, and a reduction of 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. And the team is committed to achieving the net zero carbon emissions by 2050 target set by the government. Among their plans to reach this ambitious goal is to make better use of the building's glass-covered exterior by installing solar panels to generate renewable solar energy. They also plan to utilise the winds that whip past such a tall building by installing wind turbines on the roof and podium to generate renewable energy. To further work towards zero carbon emissions, the team is looking into a battery system to store this renewable power. "There are many possibilities lying ahead and we are hopeful, especially when we talk about battery technologies," says Lewis Lam, deputy general manager of property management at ICC. "We are very certain that in the not-too-distant future we will be seeing the mass application of batteries to even conventional homes, not only large commercial buildings like ICC.

Another pioneer of Hong Kong's green building movement is One Taikoo Place. This 48-storey skyscraper, completed in 2018, was designed and constructed according to the highest green building and human health standards." The building's energy intensity is about 29% lower than a typical Hong Kong high-rise office building. This, in part, is achieved by a state-of-the-art, AI-enabled building management system called Neuron, which performs a similar role to the ICC's team but uses a type of AI called machine learning. Neuron analyses and learns from large historical datasets to automatically optimise building systems and improve energy efficiency. Among other features, the system enables optimal performance of the building's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems by forecasting when to switch on and off the chillers and cooling towers, which reduces the total building energy consumption. It can also detect, in real-time, if the building has any abnormalities, which helps prevent excessive energy consumption and operational inefficiency, while identifying when and where critical equipment needs service.....read on https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210209-hong-kong-

Details: Written by: Glenn and Rick; Category: Urban; Hits: 162

As part of Dezeen's Social Housing Revival series, we look at how one county in Maryland is leading the way in the US after devising a novel public-development strategy to help combat its housing crisis. Montgomery is a growing county on the outskirts of the Washington DC metropolitan area that has come up with a method for addressing the diminished role of social housing in America. Like much of the rest of the country, it is in dire need of more affordable housing. While an absence eed is a rarity in the US, Montgomery's county government has conceived a way to deliver high-quality homes on its own. Its Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), an agency founded in the 1970s to deliver federally funded public housing, has recently developed a strategy that it calls the public developer model. In 2021, it established the Housing Production Fund (HPF) to fund mixed-income social housing. Its first completed project using the model is The Laureate, a 268-home scheme designed by US architecture studio KTGY that features thousands of square feet of amenities and even has an outdoor heated pool and spa.
"We believe this should be the standard" "HOC is proud that when you walk into The Laureate you experience a high-quality, high-calibre, and beautifully designed community that offers a resort-like living experience," HOC executive director Chelsea Andrews told Dezeen. "We are equally proud that if you're standing in an affordable home or one that rents at market rate, the two are completely indistinguishable." "We believe this should be the standard for all new affordable housing development." In most parts of the US, cities use tax breaks to encourage developers to deliver mixed-income housing. The HOC takes a more direct approach, using federal subsidies to accommodate the poorest groups while taking out loans to fund other HOC projects. Building federally subsidised housing often requires the involvement of private investors to fund the full cost of construction – which can mean build quality is compromised to protect profit margins. By acting as a public developer and delivering housing for people on a range of incomes, the Montgomery County hopes HOC can build better housing and break down stigmas attached to social housing. The model also allows the county to create housing for people in need of affordable housing but who do not qualify for Section 8 housing vouchers. The buildings are managed by the HOC, which closely monitors the residents' incomes. Rents from people in higher income brackets help to contribute to poorer tenants' costs.......read on
https://www.dezeen.com/2024/04/01/montgomery-county-maryland-social-housing-revival/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=271224%20Dezeen%20In%20Depth&utm_content=271224%20Dezeen%20In%20Depth+CID_d87846bd149b87b78c444ec7f2429f84&utm_source=Dezeen%20Mail&utm_term=Read%20the%20full%20story ..........AND CHECKOUT....... Social housing is America's "missing tool" to solve housing crisis says Alex Lee......and most other countries

Details: Written by: Glenn and Rick; Category: Urban; Hits: 145

Healthy, Zero-Carbon Cities- Climate change threatens not only our environment, but also our health. Poor indoor and outdoor air quality is a direct result of the fossil fuels we burn. But with the right changes and actions today, we can have cleaner air for our families to breathe and more vibrant outdoor spaces in which to play. And, as the world population continues to urbanize, cities and communities are at the forefront of setting a path for a better climate future to benefit the health and wellbeing of their citizens.

Overview' This is a detailed guide for cities on the considerations and steps involved for a city to procure different types of renewable energy. The procurement guidance provided here is designed to help city governments effectively and efficiently understand associated processes, tools, and best practices in order to facilitate successful implementation of municipal renewable energy projects. The guidance is broken down into two distinct stages: Developing a Strategy and Executing a Project.

Overview......This is a detailed guide for cities on the considerations and steps involved for a city to procure different types of renewable energy......The procurement guidance provided here is designed to help city governments effectively and efficiently understand associated processes, tools, and best practices in order to facilitate successful implementation of municipal renewable energy projects. The guidance is broken down into two distinct stages: Developing a Strategy and Executing a Project.

Developing a Strategy.......Procuring renewable energy for a city requires clearly defined goals and strategy. The first stage of this procurement guidance, Developing a Strategy, provides a framework to evaluate what your city’s goals should be and identify which types of renewable energy projects or transactions will best meet your community’s needs. For cities that are new to renewable energy procurement or are considering adding some new elements to their renewable energy portfolios, this is the place to start......explore all the many strategies https://cityrenewables.org/overview/

Details: Written by: Glenn and Rick; Category: Urban; Hits: 141

What Can US Cities and States Do for the Climate Under Trump? Plenty. Federal progress on climate may stall, but city halls and statehouses are in a good position to build on recent gains. Bloomberg Kendra Pierre-Louis November 27, 2024 Sharon Lavigne’s life has been cloaked in pollution. Lavigne is a retired special education teacher from St. James Parish, a region within Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, nicknamed for its high concentration of polluting industries. But that wasn’t on Lavigne’s mind when she went to a community meeting in 2015. A teacher friend had been passed over for a promotion, and she wanted to find out why. She didn’t get an answer — but she kept going to meetings. Then in 2018, a plastics company announced it would build a large complex near Lavigne’s home. A community-based health committee “said they couldn’t fight it because the governor approved it. It was a done deal,” said Lavigne, who disagreed with their assessment. So she founded RISE St. James, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting against the expansion of the petrochemical industry in the region. In 2022, partly due to RISE’s efforts, a district court vacated the project’s air permits, putting it on hold. At first blush Lavigne’s efforts might seem small compared to sweeping federal policies on climate change like the Inflation Reduction Act.

But grassroots, local and state actions are critical to driving down US emissions. It’s a power that is likely to take center stage after the reelection of Donald Trump, who campaigned on repealing the IRA and expanding fossil fuel extraction. State and local governments can model change that’s later scaled up. For example, Washington State tax credits passed during Trump’s first administration helped inform how the IRA was structured. They can also push the needle on the clean energy transition in their own right, such as in 2021 when North Carolina passed a bill mandating that Duke Energy Corp., the state’s largest utility, reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

According to Justin Balik, the senior state program director for Evergreen Action, a climate policy think tank, US states not only made considerable progress during Trump’s first term, “they’re even more poised to lead and in some ways better prepared” than they were in 2017. Now, 24 states and Washington, DC, have targets for either net-zero carbon emissions, 100% renewable or carbon-free electricity, or both.

Bipartisan action is possible......North Carolina’s clean energy bill emerged from negotiations between the Democratic governor’s office and the Republican legislature. That happened, in part, because previous policies had led to a “tremendous influx of clean-energy investment job growth,” said Matt Abel, executive director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, which was privy to the negotiations. Defending existing climate regulations will be one priority. On election day, Washington State voters rejected a ballot measure to rescind its cap-and-trade program. Even red states will likely try to safeguard incentives in the IRA, since they are reaping most of the investment unlocked by the law. States can also deploy new policies and funds: California residents voted in favor of a $10 billion climate resilience bond in November. California has also set its own tighter fuel standards for cars, which others can choose to follow (and many have); similarly, states can act independently to reduce emissions from the power sector, as North Carolina did....... read on https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-27/what-can-us-citie

Details: Written by: Glenn and Rick; Category: Urban; Hits: 157

Nature-based solutions: How cities can use nature to manage climate risks. c40 Research ReportsDecember 2023 From extreme heat to floods, the impacts of climate hazards on urban lives and livelihoods are already worsening. Nature-based or ecosystem-based solutions1 can help to tackle many of these risks, while offering additional benefits for health, wellbeing and urban economies. Efforts to create or revive urban nature are already reducing negative climate impacts and boosting people’s quality of life around the world. This article explains how your city can design and implement nature-based solutions (NbS) to climate risk.

Identify green assets, gaps and opportunities as part of a climate risk assessment

Map and assess the city’s climate risk and vulnerability. A climate risk assessment is a core part of climate action planning, providing the evidence base needed to effectively adapt to climate change and manage evolving climate-related risks. It will identify populations, infrastructure and assets at risk due to climate hazards – now and in the future.

Map and assess your city’s natural profile and characteristics, as well as relevant urban trends, if this has not been included as part of the climate risk assessment. This analysis is critical for designing locally appropriate nature-based solutions to climate risk. These assessments will identify needs and opportunities to upgrade and expand green space and infrastructure across the city. Good examples include the mapping and analysis conducted by Rotterdam, Melbourne, Paris, Buenos Aires and Austin.

To understand your city’s natural profile and characteristics, draw on land use maps, local knowledge and datasets to:

Map and characterise existing green space and canopy cover to produce a baseline natural vegetation inventory. This will provide a clear understanding of the quality, character and distribution of green space, including gaps in access across the city.
Map man-made permeable and non-permeable surfaces.
Map native natural ecosystems, particularly the native vegetation and natural water courses and water bodies that existed before the city’s foundation. Water often flows along natural pathways even if they have been built over, so this knowledge is valuable for designing nature-based flood solutions, while the planting of non-native species risks making the ecosystem more fragile.

Seek access to data held by national government departments, local universities and non-governmental organisations to support this work. If possible, consider purchasing risk data from insurance companies. Tools such as the CORINE Land Cover data and theUrban Atlascan support cities that don’t have their own land use databases. How to expand your city’s tree canopy cover provides more detailed advice on mapping and assessing the health of tree canopy. Analysis of trends in your city should include....there's much more https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Nature-based-solutions-How-cities-can-use-nature-to-manage-climate-risks?language=en_US

Hong Kong - The City of Sustainable Skyscrapers.

A US City becomes a Public Developer and Delivering Housing for People on a Range of Incomes, t

Healthy, Zero-Carbon Cities- Climate change threatens not only our environment, but also our health.

What Can US Cities and States Do for the Climate Under Trump? Plenty.

Nature-based Solutions: How Cities can use Nature to Manage Climate Risks.

Identify green assets, gaps and opportunities as part of a climate risk assessment

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