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Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities

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Special Issue Information
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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2020) | Viewed by 51689

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Peter W. Newton

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Guest Editor

Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne 3122, Australia
Interests: sustainable consumption; sustainable built environments; urban regeneration; urban infill models; digital platforms for urban engagement and decision-making

Dr. Briony Rogers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Social Sciences and Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
Interests: urban water, sustainable water management, water sensitive cities, urban governance, transitions, resilience, interdisciplinary research, institutional change, community engagement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the 21^st century, the creation of built environments that are carbon neutral and water sensitive is critical for addressing sustainable urban development challenges. Both require transformative change—decarbonisation to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and the incorporation of green-blue water sensitive solutions to adapt to climate change impacts. Transition pathways in both arenas involve combinations of new technology and innovative urban design, enabling policies and regulations, and new processes for planning and managing urban development, as well as demand side changes for energy and water resources in relation to consumer attitudes and practices in urban living.

We are inviting original, evidence-based papers that address one or more of the following global challenges for cities and their built environments:

Smart city visions and strategies capable of transformative change in the energy and water metabolism of cities.
Climate change mitigation strategies for the supply side decarbonisation of the built environment (e.g., small scale distributed energy and storage, and large scale renewable energy systems).
Integrated planning and design of blue and green assets in the built environment (e.g., nature-based water treatment systems, waterways and waterbodies, and trees and vegetation).
Demand side innovations for energy and water efficiencies.
Energy–water nexus solutions in buildings, precincts, and cities.
Capacity of built environment elements for delivering 80% reductions in environmental pressures, with particular reference to carbon and water, by 2050.
Building, precinct, and city scale innovation in low carbon and/or water sensitive built environment design.
Measuring human health and liveability co-benefits of low carbon and/or water sensitive built environments.
Process and governance innovations that underpin a demonstrable transition to carbon neutral and/or water sensitive built environments (including collaboration, policy, information, regulation, incentives, and pricing initiatives).
Transition experiments in zero carbon/low carbon/carbon neutral built environments and/or green-blue infrastructures.

Prof. Peter W. Newton
Dr. Briony Rogers
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Decarbonisation
Natural urbanism
Renewable energy
Distributed and decentralised energy/water infrastructures
Water sensitive cities
Zero carbon buildings
Low carbon mobility

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 303 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Green Infrastructure for Sanitation in Settlements in the Global South: A Narrative Review of Socio-Technical Systems

by Michaela F. Prescott, Meredith F. Dobbie and Diego Ramirez-Lovering

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2071; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042071 - 15 Feb 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3582

Abstract

In the developing economies of the Global South, a fundamental challenge in the transition of settlements from rural or periurban to urban is increased environmental contamination as a result of poor sanitation and sanitation management. With governments’ limited ability to connect all neighbourhoods to a city’s existing municipal water, sewerage and other services, decentralised approaches using green infrastructure offer potential to address this challenge. In addition, green infrastructure might facilitate a move towards a holistic response to manage the full water cycle. This paper presents a narrative review of green infrastructure projects, involving constructed wetlands or their variants for wastewater treatment, within vulnerable communities in the Global South. It describes the scale and scope of each project, identifies the challenges of implementation, and reflects on their outcomes for different stakeholder groups. The review demonstrates that decentralised sanitation programs using constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment can provide a range of advantages/benefits/services, dependant on the specific sociocultural, political and biogeophysical contexts of each. Issues of governance and sociocultural appropriateness, rather than technical issues, challenged the implementation of green infrastructure for sanitation in these projects. Projects must be a collaboration between the government, nongovernment organisations and the community. Whether the project is organised from top-down or bottom-up, community consultation is essential. Context will determine the role of the community in the consultation process and the type of information required to guide the design, implementation and governance of the system. In every project to provide decentralised sanitation systems, the community must be participants, not simply beneficiaries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

24 pages, 6664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Schools: An Untapped Opportunity for a Carbon Neutral Future

by Portia Odell, Vanessa Rauland and Karen Murcia

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010046 - 23 Dec 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5426

Abstract

School buildings, like many buildings around the world, are rapidly aging and becoming increasingly inefficient, leading to unnecessary carbon emissions and high utility bills. School buildings can offer some of the most cost-effective carbon abatement opportunities; however, very few schools focus on quantifiable carbon reduction. This is despite the growing emphasis on school sustainability and there is a notable gap in the literature in this area. This study examined 13 schools that participated in an innovative 2-year Low Carbon Schools Pilot Program (LCSPP) in Perth, Western Australia and explores how schools can effectively reduce their carbon emissions and operational costs associated with their buildings and infrastructure. Utility data from electricity, gas and water from the schools were analysed in conjunction with the initiatives each school implemented to identify the highest impact initiatives. The study showed that schools reduced their carbon emissions on average by 20% on a per student basis and saved an average of 15% in costs. More than 70% of the actions identified by participating schools were low or zero cost. This study demonstrates the abundant opportunities available for schools to reduce their consumption of resources, carbon emissions and utility costs with minimal to no cost outlay. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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26 pages, 5660 KiB

Open AccessArticle

‘Rapid Scenario Planning’ to Support a Regional Sustainability Transformation Vision: A Case Study from Blekinge, Sweden

by Giles Thomson, Henrik Ny, Varvara Nikulina, Sven Borén, James Ayers and Jayne Bryant

Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6928; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176928 - 26 Aug 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3682

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of a transdisciplinary scenario planning workshop that was designed to link global challenges to local governance. The workshop was held to improve stakeholder integration and explore scenarios for a regional planning project (to 2050) in Blekinge, Sweden. Scenario planning and transdisciplinary practices are often disregarded by practitioners due to the perception of onerous resource requirements, however, this paper describes a ‘rapid scenario planning’ process that was designed to be agile and time-efficient, requiring the 43 participants from 13 stakeholder organizations to gather only for one day. The process was designed to create an environment whereby stakeholders could learn from, and with, each other and use their expert knowledge to inform the scenario process. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) was used to structure and focus the scenario planning exercise and its subsequent recommendations. The process was evaluated through a workshop participant survey and post-workshop evaluative interview with the regional government project manager to indicate the effectiveness of the approach. The paper closes with a summary of findings which will support those wishing to conduct similar rapid scenario planning exercises to inform policy planning for complex systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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19 pages, 2707 KiB

Open AccessArticle

WGV: Quantifying Mains Water Savings in a Medium Density Infill Residential Development

by Joshua Byrne, Mark Taylor, Tom Wheeler and Jessica K. Breadsell

Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6483; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166483 - 11 Aug 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2563

Abstract

The development called the ‘WGV precinct’ is a 2.2 ha medium density residential urban infill development in the Fremantle suburb of White Gum Valley, Western Australia. It was delivered by DevelopmentWA, the State Government development agency. DevelopmentWA and the project’s consultant team designed the WGV precinct to be an exemplar of urban water management in this type of development. Working within commercial constraints, the team established strategies to achieve ambitious reductions in mains water consumption compared to a business-as-usual approach. This paper discusses the process of establishing the precinct’s water related technologies and design features, a valuable case study in demonstrating water innovations in residential developments. Monitoring and transparently reporting on the real-world performance of the project is a key element. A comprehensive metering and data gathering system was put in place, which continues collecting data as the WGV precinct becomes increasingly established. Based on the design water strategies and early stage modelling, a target of 60–70% mains water reduction against the suburban average was set. The measured performance shows that a 65% reduction has been achieved. Barriers and constraints were observed that, if resolved, indicate that more ambitious targets can be considered for future projects. The paper includes discussion of opportunities for further work and compares some basic project qualities and outcomes to two other Australian residential development projects that had reduction in mains water consumption as an explicit objective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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17 pages, 1719 KiB

Open AccessArticle

East Village at Knutsford: A Case Study in Sustainable Urbanism

by Joshua Byrne, Mike Mouritz, Mark Taylor and Jessica K. Breadsell

Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6296; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166296 - 5 Aug 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4133

Abstract

With increasing pressure to ensure that sustainability features in homes are commercially viable, demonstration projects are vital to highlight the real-world challenges and opportunities for innovation. This paper documents the incorporation of sustainability objectives into the “East Village at Knutsford” residential “living laboratory” development, within the Knutsford urban regeneration precinct, approximately 1.5 km east of the Fremantle central business district in Western Australia. The sustainability objectives for the project include being a “Net Zero Energy Development” using 100% renewable energy and maximizing the self-supply of energy, reducing mains water consumption as much as is practical, and using the landscape design to complement these objectives without compromising a best-practice urban greening outcome. The paper documents the design initiatives and strategies that have been included to achieve these objectives in a commercially viable project and the results of modelling where it has been used to test the design against the objectives to ensure their validity. The key features that have been incorporated into the townhouses component of the development are outlined, illustrating integrated design and systems thinking that builds on previous demonstration projects, incorporating solar energy storage and electric vehicle charging plus significant mains water savings by adopting water-sensitive features in the homes and the within the private and public gardens. The expected grid energy and mains water consumption levels in the homes through modelling compared to the metropolitan average is 80% lower. The project is presented as an important step in the application of available technologies and design features to meet stated sustainability objectives, highlighting the benefits of an embedded living laboratory research approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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19 pages, 3960 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Carbon Neutral Potential in Urban Densification: A Precinct Perspective and Scenario Analysis

by Bin Huang, Ke Xing, Stephen Pullen and Lida Liao

Sustainability 2020, 12(12), 4814; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124814 - 12 Jun 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3146

Abstract

Decarbonising the urban built environment for reaching carbon neutrality is high on the agenda for many cities undergoing rapid expansion and densification. As an important urban form, precincts have been increasingly focused on as the context for urban redevelopment planning and at the forefront for trialling carbon reduction measures. However, due to interplays between the built forms and the occupancy, the carbon performance of a precinct is significantly affected by morphological variations, demographical changes, and renewable energy system deployment. Despite much research on the development of low-carbon precincts, there is limited analysis on aggregated effects of population growth, building energy efficiency, renewable energy penetration, and carbon reduction targets in relation to precinct carbon signature and carbon neutral potential for precinct redevelopment and decarbonisation planning. In this paper, an integrated carbon assessment model, including overall precinct carbon emissions and carbon offset contributed by precinct-scale renewable energy harvesting, is developed and applied to examine the lifecycle carbon signature of urban precincts. Using a case study on a residential precinct redevelopment, scenario analysis is employed to explore opportunities for decarbonising densification development and the carbon neutral potential. Results from scenario analysis indicate that redevelopment of buildings with higher-rated energy efficiency and increase of renewable energy penetration can have a long term positive impact on the carbon performance of urban precincts. Meanwhile, demographical factors in precinct evolution also have a strong influence on a precinct’s carbon neutral potential. Whilst population size exerts upward pressure on total carbon emissions, changes in family types and associated consumption behaviour, such as travelling, can make positive contributions to carbon reduction. The analysis also highlights the significance of embodied carbon to the total carbon signature and the carbon reduction potential of a precinct during densification, reinforcing the notion that “develop with less” is as important as carbon offsetting measures for decarbonising the precinct toward carbon neutrality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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25 pages, 4405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Blue-Green Cities

by Peter W. Newton and Briony C. Rogers

Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4745; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114745 - 10 Jun 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7332

Abstract

In the 21st century, the creation of built environments that are carbon neutral and water sensitive is critical for addressing sustainable urban development challenges. Both require transformative change: Decarbonisation to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and incorporation of green-blue water sensitive solutions to adapt to climate change impacts. Transition pathways in both arenas involve combinations of new technology, innovative urban design, enabling policies and regulations, new processes for planning and managing urban development, and demand-side changes in consumer attitudes and practices for urban living related to energy and water use. In this paper, we present new knowledge, concepts and frameworks developed for application in Australia, as well as internationally, through research by the national Cooperative Research Centres for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL) and Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) between 2012 and 2020. These findings and outputs illustrate common features of the research strategies and initiatives that were central to the activities of the CRCs, and highlight promising directions for collaborative interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research that drives urban sustainability transformations towards carbon neutral and blue-green cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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23 pages, 1167 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transitioning toward Sustainable Cities—Challenges of Collaboration and Integration

by Susan van de Meene, Yvette Bettini and Brian W. Head

Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4509; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114509 - 2 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2584

Abstract

The transition towards sustainable cities cannot be solved by individual stakeholders and organisations acting alone. Better governance for tackling such complex problems, including policy change and innovation adoption, will require purposeful collaboration. This is particularly evident in projects that involve integration across scales. Our case-study research compared six water-related innovations in large cities in Australia, the Netherlands, and the US. We found that government agencies, water utilities, professional organisations, and industry innovators were all vital actors, along with supportive community education. In the initiation phase of innovation, informal networks were used by sustainable innovation champions to galvanise support. As pilot projects emerged, more formal supportive processes and financial incentives were crucial. For large projects and for the mainstreaming of pilot projects, the role of formal coordination and integration mechanisms became vital for coherent and successful implementation. Various forms of network-based collaborative work were utilised, but the designation of a key coordinating organisation was found to be helpful in maintaining focus and momentum. Coordination activities across organisations, scales, and time were enhanced by the strength of core values and culture, such as valuing stakeholder engagement, innovation, flexibility, and having a focus on outcomes. Overall, this research demonstrated the need to continually evaluate the innovation process to ensure that key ingredients (suitable for each context) are implemented in a timely manner to strengthen the process and enable effective and purposeful collaboration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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30 pages, 7406 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cities4ZERO: Overcoming Carbon Lock-in in Municipalities through Smart Urban Transformation Processes

by Koldo Urrutia-Azcona, Merit Tatar, Patricia Molina-Costa and Iván Flores-Abascal

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3590; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093590 - 28 Apr 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5181

Abstract

How can local authorities effectively address the decarbonization of urban environments in the long run? How would their interests and expertise be aligned into an integrated approach towards decarbonization? This paper delves into how strategic processes can help to integrate diverse disciplines and stakeholders when facing urban decarbonization and presents Cities4ZERO, a step-by-step methodology for local authorities, able to guide them through the process of developing the most appropriate plans and projects for an effective urban transition; all from an integrated, participatory and cross-cutting planning approach. For the development of the Cities4ZERO methodology, plans, projects, and strategic processes from five European cities that are part of the Smart Cities and Communities European Commission program have been monitored for 4 years, in close collaboration with local authorities, analyzing ad-hoc local strategic approaches to determine key success factors and barriers to be considered from their transitioning experiences. The study indicates that an iterative strategic approach and a project-oriented vision, combined with a stable institutional commitment, are opening a window of opportunity for cities to achieve effective decarbonization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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14 pages, 1062 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Cities Prior to a National Policy

by Jani Laine, Jukka Heinonen and Seppo Junnila

Sustainability 2020, 12(6), 2445; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062445 - 20 Mar 2020

Cited by 39 | Viewed by 9911

Abstract

Some cities have set carbon neutrality targets prior to national or state-wide neutrality targets, which makes the shift to carbon neutrality more difficult, as the surrounding system does not support this. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate different options for a progressive city to reach carbon neutrality in energy prior to the surrounding system. The study followed the C40 Cities definition of a carbon-neutral city and used the City of Vantaa in Finland as a progressive case aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030, five years before the national target for carbon neutrality. The study mapped the carbon neutrality process based on City documents and national statistics, and validated it through process-owner interviews. It was identified that most of the measures in the carbon neutrality process were actually outside the jurisdiction of the City, which outsources the responsibility for the majority of carbon neutrality actions to either private properties or national actors with broader boundaries. The only major measure in the City’s direct control was the removal of carbon emissions from municipal district heat production, which potentially represent 30% of the City’s reported carbon emissions and 58% of its energy-related carbon emissions. Interestingly, the City owns electricity production capacity within and beyond the city borders, but it doesn’t allocate it for itself. Allocation would significantly increase the control over the City’s own actions regarding carbon neutrality. Thus, it is proposed that cities aiming for carbon neutrality should promote and advance allocable carbon-free energy production, regardless of geographical location, as one of the central methods of achieving carbon neutrality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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Review

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28 pages, 1677 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Discrepancy between As-Built and As-Designed in Energy Efficient Buildings: A Rapid Review

by Christine Eon, Jessica K. Breadsell, Joshua Byrne and Gregory M. Morrison

Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6372; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166372 - 7 Aug 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3234

Abstract

Energy efficient buildings are viewed as one of the solutions to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment. However, studies worldwide indicate that there is a significant gap between building energy targets (as-designed) and the actual measured building energy consumption (as-built). Several underlying causes for the energy performance gap have been identified at all stages of the building life cycle. Focus is generally on the post-occupancy stage of the building life cycle. However, issues relating to the construction and commissioning stages of the building are a major concern, though not usually researched. There is uncertainty on how to address the as-designed versus as-built gap. The objective of this review article is to identify causes for the energy performance gap in buildings in relation to the post-design and pre-occupancy stages and review proposed solutions. The methodology applied in this research is the rapid review, which is a variant of the systematic literature review method. Findings suggest that causes for discrepancies between as-designed and as-built energy performance during the construction and commissioning stages relate to a lack of knowledge and skills, lack of communication between stakeholders and a lack of accountability for building performance post-occupancy. Recommendations to close this gap during this period include better training, improved communication standards, collaboration, energy evaluations based on post-occupancy performance, transparency of building performance, improved testing and verification and reviewed building standards. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transforming Built Environments: Towards Carbon Neutral and Green-Blue Cities)

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