Academic literature on the topic 'Urban-scale energy model'

Energy resilience can be reached with a secure, sustainable, competitive, and affordable system. In order to achieve energy resilience in the urban environment, urban-scale energy models play a key role in supporting the promotion and identification of effective energy-efficient and low-carbon policies pertaining to buildings. In this work, a dynamic urban-scale energy model, based on an energy balance, has been designed to take into account the local climate conditions and morphological urban-scale parameters. The aim is to present an engineering methodology, applied to clusters of buildings, using the available urban databases. This methodology has been calibrated and optimized through an iterative procedure on 102 residential buildings in a district of the city of Turin (Italy). The results of this work show how a place-based dynamic energy balance methodology can also be sufficiently accurate at an urban scale with an average seasonal relative error of 14%. In particular, to achieve this accuracy, the model has been optimized by correcting the typological and geometrical characteristics of the buildings and the typologies of ventilation and heating system; in addition, the indoor temperatures of the buildings—that were initially estimated as constant—have been correlated to the climatic variables. The proposed model can be applied to other cities utilizing the existing databases or, being an engineering model, can be used to assess the impact of climate change or other scenarios.

Abstract To enhance the quality of life in cities, it is necessary to improve the energy performance of buildings together with a sustainable urban planning especially in high-density contexts. Previous works investigated the building shape, the urban morphology, and the local climate conditions to optimize the energy performance for space heating of buildings. The aim of this study is to validate a GIS-based engineering model to simulate the hourly energy demand for space cooling in residential buildings at neighborhood scale and to assess the relationship between the urban form and the energy performance in terms of cooling energy demand. A place- based methodology was applied to six neighborhoods in the city of Turin (Italy), identified as homogeneous zones with different building characteristics and urban contexts. The hourly cooling demand of residential buildings was studied starting from the energy balance at building scale, and then was applied at block of buildings scale with the support of GIS. This model was validated with a comparison of the results using CitySim tool and ISO 52016 assessment. In order to investigate the relationship between cooling energy demand and urban form, the GIS- based engineering model was applied to five typical blocks of buildings with different construction periods. The results show how cooling energy demand varies according to building characteristics and urban morphology in a continental-temperate climate. By this analysis, it is possible to identify the optimal block of building shape in Turin ensuring lower energy consumptions during the cooling season with different types of buildings.

Abstract The urban climate and outdoor air quality of cities that have a positive thermal balance depending on the thermal consumptions of buildings cause an increase of the urban heat island and global warming effects. The aim of this work has been to develop an energy balance using the energy consumption data of the district heating network. The here presented engineering energy model is at a neighborhood scale, and the energy-use results have been obtained from a heat balance of residential buildings, by means of a quasi-steady state method, on a monthly basis. The modeling approach also considers the characteristics of the urban context that may have a significant effect on its energy performance. The model includes a number of urban variables, such as solar exposition and thermal radiation lost to the sky of the built environment. This methodology was applied to thirty-three 1 km × 1 km meshes in the city of Turin, using the monthly energy consumption data of three consecutive heating seasons. The results showed that the model is accurate for old built areas; the average error is 10% for buildings constructed before 1970, while the error reaches 20% for newer buildings. The importance and originality of this study are related to the fact that the energy balance is applied at neighborhood scale and urban parameters are introduced with the support of a GIS tool. The resulting engineering models can be applied as a decision support tool for citizens, public administrations, and policy makers to evaluate the distribution of energy consumptions and the relative GHG emissions to promote a more sustainable urban environment. Future researches will be carried out with the aim of introducing other urban variables into the model, such as the canyon effect and the presence of vegetation.

Urban atmospheric environmental issues are commonly associated with the physical processes of urban surfaces. Much progress has been made on the building-resolving microscale atmospheric models, but a realistic representation of the physical processes of urban surfaces on those models is still lacking. This study presents a new microscale urban surface energy (MUSE) model for real urban meteorological and environmental applications that is capable of representing the urban radiative, convective, and conductive energy transfer processes along with their interactions, and that is directly compatible with the Cartesian grid microscale atmospheric models. The physical processes of shadow casting and radiative transfers were validated on an analytical accuracy level. The full capability of the model in simulating the three-dimensional surface heterogeneities in a real urban environment was tested for a hot summer day in August 2016 using the field measurements obtained from the Kongju National University campus, South Korea. The validation against the measurements showed that the model is capable of predicting surface temperatures and energy balance fluxes in a patch scale at the heterogeneous urban surfaces by virtue of the interactive representation of the urban physical processes. The excellent performance and flexible grid design emphasize the potential capabilities of the MUSE model for use in urban meteorological and environmental applications through the building-resolving microscale atmospheric models, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and large-eddy simulations (LES).

Abstract. Mesoscale modeling of the urban boundary layer requires careful parameterization of the surface due to its heterogeneous morphology. Model estimated meteorological quantities, including the surface energy budget and canopy layer variables, will respond accordingly to the scale of representation. This study examines the sensitivity of the surface energy balance, canopy layer and boundary layer meteorology to the scale of urban surface representation in a real urban area (Detroit-Windsor (USA-Canada)) during several dry, cloud-free summer periods. The model used is the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with its coupled single-layer urban canopy model. Some model verification is presented using measurements from the Border Air Quality and Meteorology Study (BAQS-Met) 2007 field campaign and additional sources. Case studies span from "neighborhood" (10 s ~ 30 m) to very coarse (120 s ~ 3.7 km) resolution. Small changes in scale can affect the classification of the surface, affecting both the local and grid-average meteorology. Results indicate high sensitivity in turbulent latent heat flux from the natural surface and sensible heat flux from the urban canopy. Small scale change is also shown to delay timing of a lake-breeze front passage and can affect the timing of local transition in static stability.

The development of Urban-Scale Energy Modelling (USEM) at the district or city level is currently the goal of many research groups due to the increased interest in evaluating the impact of energy efficiency measures in city environments. Because USEM comprises a great variety of analysis areas, the simulation programs that are able to model urban-scale energy systems actually consist of an assemblage of different particular sub-models. In order to simulate each of the sub-models in USEM, one can choose to use either existing specific simulation engines or tailor-made models. Engines or tools for simulation of urban-scale energy systems have already been overviewed in previous existing literature, however the distinction and classification of tools according to their functionalities within each analysis area in USEM has not been clearly presented. Therefore, the present work aims at reviewing the existing tools while classifying them according to their capabilities. The ultimate goal of this classification is to expose the available resources for implementing new co-simulation approaches in USEM, which may reduce the modelling effort and increase reliability as a result of using established and validated simulation engines.

Abstract. Mesoscale modeling of the urban boundary layer requires careful parameterization of the surface due to its heterogeneous morphology. Model estimated meteorological quantities, including the surface energy budget and canopy layer variables, will respond accordingly to the scale of representation. This study examines the sensitivity of the surface energy balance, canopy layer and boundary layer meteorology to the scale of urban surface representation in a real urban area (Detroit-Windsor (USA-Canada)) during several dry, cloud-free summer periods. The model used is the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with its coupled single-layer urban canopy model. Some model verification is presented using measurements from the Border Air Quality and Meteorology Study (BAQS-Met) 2007 field campaign and additional sources. Case studies span from "neighborhood" (10 s ~308 m) to very coarse (120 s ~3.7 km) resolution. Small changes in scale can affect the classification of the surface, affecting both the local and grid-average meteorology. Results indicate high sensitivity in turbulent latent heat flux from the natural surface and sensible heat flux from the urban canopy. Small scale change is also shown to delay timing of a lake-breeze front passage and can affect the timing of local transition in static stability.

This study consisted in the development of a canopy model (CIM), which could be use as an interface between meso-scale models used to simulate urban climate and micro-scale models used to evaluate building energy use. The development is based on previously proposed theories and is presented in different atmospheric conditions, with and without obstable. It has been shown, for example, that to be in coherence with the Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory, that a correction term has to be added to the buoyancy term of the T.K.E. CIM has also been coupled with the meteorological meso-scale model WRF. A methodology was proposed to take advantage of both models (one being more resolved, the other one integrating horizontal transport terms) and to ensure a coherence of the results. Besides being more precise than the WRF model at the same resolution, this system allows, through CIM, to provide high resolved vertical profiles near the surface.

The Municipality of Quelimane, the fourth biggest city in Mozambique, aims to apply an EcoCity concept in the city. Therefore, the municipality initiated a waste-to-energy project in order to improve the lacking waste management, valorize resources and lessen the burden on the environment. The purpose of the current project was to investigate the potential for implementing a waste-to-energy system in Quelimane. In particular, the technology of anaerobic digestion. This technology had been identified as the best alternative based on local conditions according to a study performed by students at KTH, the municipality of Quelimane and GreenLight about waste-to-energy in Quelimane the spring of 2015. The present project was performed during eight weeks in Mozambique; five weeks in the capital Maputo and three weeks on-site in Quelimane, where the collection of data mainly was made in Quelimane. The gathered information resulted in a model for a small scale anaerobic digestion system in Quelimane. An assessment of the potential for an implementation of an anaerobic digestion system in Quelimane was determined using a feasibility assessment tool. The study was performed using the following methods: literature study, interviews, surveys, on-site observations, modelling and by using a feasibility assessment tool. The analysis performed with the feasibility tool identified the socio-cultural attitude towards the technology and the willingness among the residents to use the end products as key factors for a successful implementation. The attitude towards the technology was determined as mainly positive and the willingness to use the end product high. The strong involvement and initiative from the municipality were also identified as key factors and determined as positive. The environmental, policy and legal and the technological aspects of the system are other identified key factors were mainly identified as positive according to the feasibility assessment tool. However, there is currently no end user for the small scale plant and no established funding for the project. This altogether results in a current marginally high potential for the implementation of a small scale anaerobic digestion plant, with good chances to increase the potential in the future.

[EN] Anaerobic MBRs (AnMBRs) can provide the desired step towards sustainable wastewater treatment, broadening the range of application of anaerobic biotechnology to low-strength wastewaters (e.g. urban ones) or extreme environmental conditions (e.g. low operating temperatures). This alternative technology gathers the advantages of anaerobic treatment processes (e.g. low energy demand stemming from no aeration and energy recovery through methane production) jointly with the benefits of membrane technology (e.g. high quality effluent, and reduced space requirements). It is important to highlight that AnMBR may offer the possibility of operation in energy neutral or even being a net energy producer due to biogas generation. Other aspects that must be taken into account in AnMBR are the quality and nutrient recovery potential of the effluent and the low amount of sludge generated, which are of vital importance when assessing the environmental impact of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The main aim of this Ph.D. thesis is to assess the economic and environmental sustainability of AnMBR technology for urban wastewater treatment at ambient temperature. Specifically, this thesis focusses on the following aspects: (1) development of a detailed and comprehensive plant-wide energy model for assessing the energy demand of different wastewater treatment systems at both steady- and unsteady-state conditions; (2) proposal of a design methodology for AnMBR technology and identification of optimal AnMBR-based configurations by applying an overall life cycle cost (LCC) analysis; (3) life cycle assessment (LCA) of AnMBR-based technology at different temperatures; and (4) evaluation of the overall sustainability (economic and environmental) of AnMBR for urban wastewater treatment. In this research work, a plant-wide energy model coupled to the extended version of the plant-wide mathematical model BNRM2 is proposed. The proposed energy model was used for assessing the energy performance of different wastewater treatment processes. In order to propose a guidelines for designing AnMBR at full-scale and to identify optimal AnMBR-based configurations, the proposed energy model and LCC were used. LCA was used to assess the environmental performance of AnMBR-based technology at different temperatures. An overall sustainability (economic and environmental) assessment was conducted for: (a) assessing the implications of design and operating decisions by including sensitivity and uncertainty analysis and navigating trade-offs across environmental and economic criteria.; and (b) comparing AnMBR to aerobic-based technologies for urban wastewater treatment. This Ph.D. thesis is enclosed in a national research project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation entitled "Using membrane technology for the energetic recovery of wastewater organic matter and the minimisation of the sludge produced" (MICINN project CTM2008-06809-C02-01/02). To obtain representative results that could be extrapolated to full-scale plants, this research work was carried out in an AnMBR system featuring industrial-scale hollow-fibre membrane units that was operated using effluent from the pre-treatment of the Carraixet WWTP (Valencia, Spain).
[ES] El reactor anaerobio de membranas sumergidas (AnMBR) puede proporcionar el paso deseado hacia un tratamiento sostenible del agua residual, ampliando la aplicabilidad de la biotecnología anaerobia al tratamiento de aguas residuales de baja carga (ej. agua residual urbana) o a condiciones medioambientales extremas (ej. bajas temperaturas de operación). Esta tecnología combina las ventajas de los procesos de tratamiento anaerobio (baja demanda energética gracias a la ausencia de aireación y a la recuperación energética a través de la producción de metano) con los beneficios de la tecnología de membranas (ej. efluente de alta calidad y reducidas necesidades de espacio). Cabe destacar que la tecnología AnMBR permite la posibilidad del autoabastecimiento energético del sistema debido a la generación de biogás. Otros aspectos que se deben considerar en el sistema AnMBR son el potencial de recuperación de nutrientes, la calidad del efluente generado y la baja cantidad de fangos producidos, siendo todos ellos de vital importancia cuando se evalúa el impacto medioambiental de una planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales urbanas. El objetivo principal de esta tesis doctoral es evaluar la sostenibilidad económica y medioambiental de la tecnología AnMBR para el tratamiento de aguas residuales urbanas a temperatura ambiente. Concretamente, esta tesis se centra en las siguientes tareas: (1) desarrollo de un modelo de energía detallado y completo que permita evaluar la demanda energética global de diferentes sistemas de tratamiento de aguas residuales tanto en régimen estacionario como en transitorio; (2) propuesta de una metodología de diseño e identificación de configuraciones óptimas para la implementación de la tecnología AnMBR, aplicando para ello un análisis del coste de ciclo de vida (CCV); (3) análisis del ciclo de vida (ACV) de la tecnología AnMBR a diferentes temperaturas; y (4) evaluación global de la sostenibilidad (económica y medioambiental) de la tecnología AnMBR para el tratamiento de aguas residuales urbanas. En este trabajo de investigación se propone un modelo de energía acoplado a la versión extendida del modelo matemático BNRM2. El modelo de energía propuesto se usó para evaluar la eficiencia energía de diferentes procesos de tratamiento de aguas residuales urbanas. Con el fin de proponer unas directrices para el diseño de AnMBR a escala industrial e identificar las configuraciones óptimas para la implementación de dicha tecnología, se aplicaron tanto el modelo de energía propuesto como un análisis CCV. El ACV se usó para evaluar la viabilidad medioambiental de la tecnología AnMBR a diferentes temperaturas. En este trabajo se llevó a cabo una evaluación global de la sostenibilidad (económica y medioambiental) de la tecnología AnMBR para: (a) evaluar las implicaciones que conllevan ciertas decisiones durante el diseño y operación de dicha tecnología mediante un análisis de sensibilidad e incertidumbre, y examinar las contrapartidas en función de criterios económicos y medioambientales; y (b) comparar la tecnología AnMBR con tecnologías basadas en procesos aerobios para el tratamiento de aguas residuales urbanas. Esta tesis doctoral está integrada en un proyecto nacional de investigación, subvencionado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), con título "Modelación de la aplicación de la tecnología de membranas para la valorización energética de la materia orgánica del agua residual y la minimización de los fangos producidos" (MICINN, proyecto CTM2008-06809-C02-01/02). Para obtener resultados representativos que puedan ser extrapolados a plantas reales, esta tesis doctoral se ha llevado a cabo utilizando un sistema AnMBR que incorpora módulos comerciales de membrana de fibra hueca. Además, esta planta es alimentada con el efluente del pre-tratamiento de la EDAR del Barranco del Carraixet (Valencia, España).
[CAT] El reactor anaerobi de membranes submergides (AnMBR) pot proporcionar el pas desitjat cap a un tractament d'aigües residuals sostenible, i suposa una extensió en l'aplicabilitat de la biotecnologia anaeròbia al tractament d'aigües residuals amb baixa càrrega (p.e. aigua residual urbana) o a condicions mediambientals extremes (p.e. baixes temperatures d'operació). Aquesta tecnologia alternativa reuneix els avantatges dels processos de tractament anaerobi (baixa demanda d'energia per l'estalvi de l'aireig i possibilitat de recuperació energètica per la producció de metà), conjuntament amb els beneficis de l'ús de de la tecnologia de membranes (p.e efluent d'alta qualitat, i reduïdes necessitats d'espai). Cal destacar que la tecnologia AnMBR permet la possibilitat de l'autoabastiment energètic del sistema degut a la generació de biogàs. Altres aspectes que s'han de considerar en el sistema AnMBR són el potencial de recuperació de nutrients, la qualitat de l'efluent i la baixa quantitat de fang generat, tots ells de vital importància quan s'avalua l'impacte mediambiental d'una planta de tractament d'aigües residuals urbanes. L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi doctoral és avaluar la sostenibilitat econòmica i mediambiental de la tecnologia AnMBR per al tractament d'aigües residuals urbanes a temperatura ambient. Concretament, aquesta tesi se centra en les tasques següents: (1) desenrotllament d'un detallat i complet model d'energia per al conjunt de la planta a fi d'avaluar la demanda d'energia de diferents sistemes de tractament d'aigües residuals tant en règim estacionari com en transitori; (2) proposta d'una metodologia de disseny i identificació de les configuracions òptimes de la tecnologia AnMBR mitjançant l'aplicació una anàlisi del cost de tot el cicle de vida (CCV) ; (3) anàlisi del cicle de vida (ACV) de la tecnologia AnMBR a diferents temperatures; i (4) avaluació global de la sostenibilitat (econòmica i mediambiental) de la tecnologia AnMBR per al tractament d'aigües residuals urbanes. En aquest treball d'investigació es proposa un model d'energia a nivell de tota la planta acoblat a la versió estesa del model matemàtic BNRM2. El model d'energia proposat s'ha utilitzat per a avaluar l'eficiència energètica de diferents processos de tractament d'aigües residuals urbanes. A fi de proposar unes directrius per al disseny d'AnMBR a escala industrial i identificar les configuracions òptimes de la tecnologia AnMBR, s'ha aplicat tant el model d'energia proposat, com el cost del cicle de vida (CCV). L'anàlisi del cicle de vida (ACV) s'ha utilitzat per a avaluar el rendiment mediambiental de la tecnologia AnMBR a diferents temperatures. En aquest treball s'ha dut a terme una avaluació global de la sostenibilitat (econòmica i mediambiental) de la tecnologia AnMBR per a: (a) avaluar les implicacions de les decisions de disseny i operació per mitjà d'una anàlisi de sensibilitat i incertesa i examinar les contrapartides en funció de criteris econòmics i mediambientals; i (b) comparar la tecnologia AnMBR amb tecnologies basades en processos aerobis per al tractament d'aigües residuals urbanes. Aquesta tesi doctoral està integrada en un projecte nacional d'investigació, subvencionat pel Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), amb títol "Modelación de la aplicación de la tecnología de membranas para la valorización energética de la materia orgánica del agua residual y la minimización de los fangos producidos" (MICINN, projecte CTM2008-06809-C02-01/02). Per a obtenir resultats representatius que puguen ser extrapolats a plantes reals, aquesta tesi doctoral s'ha dut a terme utilitzant un sistema AnMBR que incorpora mòduls comercials de membrana de fibra buida. A més, aquesta planta és alimentada amb l'efluent del pretractament de l'EDAR del Barranc del Carraixet (València, Espanya).
Pretel Jolis, R. (2015). Environmental and economic sustainability of submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactors treating urban wastewater [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/58864
TESIS
Premiado

Depuis 2007, plus de la moitié de la population mondiale vit en ville. La forte densité de population et d'activité entraîne une augmentation des besoins en climatisation des bâtiments en été. L'augmentation des températures due à l'effet d'îlot de chaleur urbain est principalement liée à l'aménagement urbain et aux flux de chaleurs anthropiques causés par l'utilisation des systèmes de chauffage et de climatisation. En agissant sur l'aménagement urbain, comme la densité de construction, l'albédo de surface ou les espaces verts, le microclimat urbain peut être amélioré ; ce qui permet ainsi de réduire les besoins énergétiques des bâtiments. Nous proposons dans ce manuscrit un modèle pour calculer les besoins énergétiques des bâtiments à l'échelle d'un quartier en prenant en compte l'interaction entre le microclimat urbain et les bâtiments. L'objectif est de décrire d'une part les ambiances intérieures du bâtiment, telles qu'elles sont modélisées dans les codes de thermique dynamique du bâtiment, et d'autre part, l'environnement extérieur tel qu'il est modélisé dans les codes de micro-météorologie. Pour travailler à cette échelle,la description détaillée de tous les transferts thermiques à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de chaque bâtiment n'est pas appropriée. Ainsi, un modèle réduit de bâtiment est couplé avec un modèle simplifié de microclimat urbain. Le modèle de bâtiment est basé sur la méthode des facteurs de pondération et permet de prendre en compte les gains internes, l'inertie de l'enveloppe et les échanges radiatifs et convectifs à l'intérieur du bâtiment. Il est couplé à un modèle radiatif en milieu urbain, basé sur la méthode des radiosités, et un modèle zonal tridimensionnel de la canopée urbaine. Après avoir présenté ces modèles, ils sont appliqués sur un cas d'application, à savoir le quartier Pin Sec de la ville de Nantes. Différents scénarios d'aménagement urbain sont simulés sur une année afin d'analyser l'influence de l'aménagement urbain sur les besoins énergétiques des bâtiments.

abstract: City administrators and real-estate developers have been setting up rather aggressive energy efficiency targets. This, in turn, has led the building science research groups across the globe to focus on urban scale building performance studies and level of abstraction associated with the simulations of the same. The increasing maturity of the stakeholders towards energy efficiency and creating comfortable working environment has led researchers to develop methodologies and tools for addressing the policy driven interventions whether it’s urban level energy systems, buildings’ operational optimization or retrofit guidelines. Typically, these large-scale simulations are carried out by grouping buildings based on their design similarities i.e. standardization of the buildings. Such an approach does not necessarily lead to potential working inputs which can make decision-making effective. To address this, a novel approach is proposed in the present study. The principle objective of this study is to propose, to define and evaluate the methodology to utilize machine learning algorithms in defining representative building archetypes for the Stock-level Building Energy Modeling (SBEM) which are based on operational parameter database. The study uses “Phoenix- climate” based CBECS-2012 survey microdata for analysis and validation. Using the database, parameter correlations are studied to understand the relation between input parameters and the energy performance. Contrary to precedence, the study establishes that the energy performance is better explained by the non-linear models. The non-linear behavior is explained by advanced learning algorithms. Based on these algorithms, the buildings at study are grouped into meaningful clusters. The cluster “mediod” (statistically the centroid, meaning building that can be represented as the centroid of the cluster) are established statistically to identify the level of abstraction that is acceptable for the whole building energy simulations and post that the retrofit decision-making. Further, the methodology is validated by conducting Monte-Carlo simulations on 13 key input simulation parameters. The sensitivity analysis of these 13 parameters is utilized to identify the optimum retrofits. From the sample analysis, the envelope parameters are found to be more sensitive towards the EUI of the building and thus retrofit packages should also be directed to maximize the energy usage reduction.
Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Architecture 2017

Negli ultimi anni, le metodologie di valutazione di prestazioni sismiche ed energetiche del patrimonio edilizio esistente sono diventate un tema centrale della ricerca tecnico-scientifica. Una delle principali criticità riguarda la notevole complessità legata alle valutazioni degli edifici esistenti rispetto alla nuova progettazione dovuta alle incertezze connesse al percorso di conoscenza delle effettive caratteristiche degli edifici e alle numerose variabili coinvolte. Inoltre, gli eventi sismici degli ultimi anni e gli obiettivi di breve termine imposti dall’Unione Europea per il miglioramento dell’efficienza energetica, hanno fatto emergere l’urgenza di valutare gli attuali livelli prestazionale per pianificare e attuare adeguati interventi di miglioramento e adeguamento. Questo implica la necessità di eseguire analisi a larga scala per un enorme numero di edifici per i quali non è possibile l’uso delle procedure generalmente impiegate per valutare il singolo edificio a causa del livello di dettaglio di informazioni richieste e del considerevole onere computazionale. Per questa ragione, a larga scala è necessario utilizzare procedure semplificate, facilmente implementabili sulla base di informazioni limitate e in grado di fornire risultati con affidabilità e accuratezza accettabile, ottimizzando costi e tempi connessi ai processi di realizzazione di archivi di informazioni e di implementazione di procedure di valutazione. In questo quadro, l’obiettivo del presente lavoro di ricerca è quello di fornire un approccio innovativo alla valutazione degli edifici esistenti in un contesto di incertezza e informazioni limitate, tipico delle analisi a larga scala, per mezzo di un adeguato percorso di conoscenza finalizzato alla realizzazione di una opportuna base di informazioni finalizzato all’implementazione di procedure semplificati di valutazione. Il punto di partenza è la costruzione di un database multi-sorgente georeferenziato (GMSD) del patrimonio edilizio residenziale corrente in ambiente GIS mediante estrazione, integrazione ed elaborazione di dati ricavati da diverse fonti. Le informazioni raccolte, catalogate ed implementate in ambiente nel GMSD, sono strutturate secondo tre livelli di dettaglio: le sezioni di censimento (CS), i blocchi urbani (UB), i singoli edifici (SB) ai quali viene associato un insieme di informazioni “standard”. Successivamente, il database GMSD viene integrato con informazioni di maggior dettaglio estrapolate dal catalogo “CARTIS”, contenente informazioni sulle caratteristiche tipologico-strutturali di comparti urbani omogenei, in maniera da affinare i dati e ottenere informazioni dettagliate associate a ciascun edificio. Il formato alfanumerico dei dati consente l’implementazione automatica, con un limitato onere computazionale, di metodi indiretti che forniscono un indice di vulnerabilità sismica di carattere qualitativo a scala differente (intero comparto urbano, sezione di censimento, blocco urbano, edificio singolo), i risultati vengono comparati per verificare l’affidabilità e l’accuratezza dei dati e collocati con le altre informazioni nel database GMSD. Vengono proposte due diverse applicazioni sviluppate per casi studi localizzati in Puglia: la città di Taranto e la città di Bisceglie per le quali è stato costruito il database GMSD ed è stata implementata una rapida procedura di valutazione di vulnerabilità sismica rispettivamente 12674 blocchi urbani e 3726 edifici. Le informazioni disponibili nel database GMSD consentono l’esecuzione di differenti tipologie di valutazioni a larga scala per grandi insiemi di edifici esistenti, nello specifico, vengono proposte due metodologie: la prima, permette una valutazione a larga scala di edifici in muratura in aggregato; la seconda, riguarda l’integrazione dei due aspetti di vulnerabilità sismica e prestazioni energetiche del patrimonio edilizio esistente. È stato elaborato e testato un approccio tipologico-meccanico per la valutazione del comportamento sismico di edifici in muratura in aggregato a larga scala. Le informazioni delle diverse classi tipologico-strutturali di edifici presenti nel database GMSD vengono utilizzate per eseguire un campionamento statistico del patrimonio edilizio esistente, implementando in maniera automatica la modellazione e l’analisi numerica tramite l’utilizzo di un codice informatico con un basso onere computazionale. Lo scopo è identificare relazioni e regole semplificate per prevedere il comportamento sismico e strutturale di un aggregato in muratura a partire dalla conoscenza di informazioni di base del singolo edificio componente. La seconda proposta è finalizzata all’implementazione di una procedura semplificata di valutazione integrata delle prestazioni sismiche ed energetiche a scala urbana, due aspetti generalmente trattati in maniera separata, ignorando i vantaggi e i benefici che potrebbero derivare da una strategia integrata. La procedura integrata si basa sui dati contenuti nel database GMSD integrata da ulteriori informazioni riguardanti l’involucro dell’edificio e le caratteristiche impiantistiche ottenuta da documentazione tecnica, fotografica, ispezioni e indagini speditive. L’algoritmo proposto prevede il calcolo di due indici di vulnerabilità sismica (IVS) e prestazione energetica (IVE) per ciascun edificio utilizzando opportune procedure nelle quali, per ciascuno dei due aspetti, opportuni parametri caratteristici vengono selezionati e valutati. I due indici vengono normalizzati in maniera tale da avere due grandezze coerenti e combinati in un indice sintetico integrato (IVI). l’approccio è stato applicato ad un quartiere del centro storico di Foggia ottenendo in maniera rapida una valutazione integrata per un campione di 148 edifici. Sulla base delle procedure proposte è possibile elaborare un’analisi preliminare dello stato corrente del patrimonio edilizio esistente in maniera da identificare livelli prestazionali critici, elaborare differenti scenari e pianificare analisi più dettagliate e futuri interventi, ottimizzando le risorse disponibili.
In the last few years, the seismic and energy performance assessment methodologies of existing building stock have become a central topic in ongoing research. One of the most important issues is the considerable complexity of the evaluation of the existing buildings compared to the new design due to the uncertainties inherent the process of knowledge of the effective characteristics the buildings and the several variables involved. Moreover, the seismic events of the last few years together with the short-term objectives imposed by European Union for the improvement of energy efficiency have brought to light the urgent need of assessing the actual performance levels to plan and realize suitable retrofitting interventions. This implies the necessity to perform large-scale surveys for a huge number of buildings for which it is not possible to use the procedures generally employed to assess single buildings, due to the detailed information required and the considerable computational burden. For this reasons, at large scale it is required the use of simplified procedures, easily implementable on the basis of limited information and able to provide results with acceptable reliability and accuracy, optimizing the cost and time connected to the process of realization of an inventory of building characteristics and subsequent implementation of the assessment procedures. In this framework, the objective of the present research work is to provide an innovative approach for the assessment of the existing buildings in a context of uncertainty and incomplete information typical of the large scale analysis by means of a properly knowledge path to realize a suitable base of information finalized to the implementation of simplified assessment procedures. The starting point is the construction of a geo-referenced multi sources database (GMSD) of the current residential buildings stock in GIS environment through the extraction, integration and elaboration of data from different sources. The information, collected, catalogued, and implemented in GMSD database, is structured according three level of GIS entities: census section (CS), urban block (UB), and single building (SB), to which a “standard” set of minimum data has been associated. Subsequently, the georeferenced database has been supplemented by more detailed information extracted by “CARTIS” catalogue, containing information about the typological and structural features of homogenous urban districts, to refine the data and to obtain more detailed information associated to each building. The alphanumeric format of data allows the automatic implementation of indirect methods with a low computational effort, which provide a qualitative seismic vulnerability index at different scales (whole urban district, an urban block, a single building), the results have been compared to verify the reliability and accuracy of the data set and stored in the GMSD database together with all the information. Successively, a powerful 3D interactive tool has been realized for the knowledge, characterization and analysis at the urban scale. Two Applications have been developed for case studies in Puglia, Italy: the cities of Taranto and Bisceglie for which GMSD has been constructed and implement a rapid seismic vulnerability assessment respectively of 12674 urban blocks and 3726 single buildings. The information available in GMSD allows to perform several types of assessment at large scale for a large set of existing buildings, in particular two methodologies have been proposed; the first, allows a large scale assessment of masonry building aggregates; the second, regard the integration of the two aspect of seismic vulnerability and energy performance of existing building stock. A typological-mechanical approach has been elaborated and tested to assess the seismic behaviour of the masonry buildings and aggregates at large scale. The information of the different structural-typological building classes stored in GMSD database have been used to perform a statistical sampling of the existing building stock, automatically elaborating the numerical models and analyses by means of a computer code with low computational effort. The aim is to identify a simplified relations and rules to predict the seismic behaviour of masonry buildings aggregates starting from the limited information about the single building. The second proposal is finalized to implementation of an integrated simplified evaluation procedure of the seismic vulnerability and energy performance at urban scale, two aspects generally treated in a disconnected way, ignoring the advantages and benefits that could result from an integrated strategy. The integrate procedure is based the data collected in GMSD database complemented by a further information about building envelope and plant system feature, obtained by available technical documentations, photographic record, expeditious inspections and survey. The proposed algorithm provides the calculation of a seismic vulnerability (IVS) and an energy performance (IVE) index for each building by means of suitable procedure in which, for each of the two aspects, a proper set of characteristic parameters have been selected and appraised. The two indices are normalized to obtain two consistent values and combined in a synthetic integrated index (IVI). The approach has been applied to a neighbourhood in the historical centre of Foggia obtaining in a rapid way an integrated assessment of a sample composed by 148 buildings. On the bases of the proposed procedures it is possible to elaborate a preliminary analysis of the current state of the existing building stock in order to identify the criticality performance levels, elaborate different scenarios and plan more detailed analyses and future interventions, optimizing the available resources.

AbstractEnergy sustainability in practice demonstrates the need to scale down the focus from the national to the local level. The literature proposes different models and policies for implementing sustainable energy solutions in communities. In this chapter, the authors review the policy competencies of local governments and propose a new model for transition to energy sustainability in communities, learning from different initiatives. The study confronts this model with lessons learned in transitioning to energy sustainability in four sub-Saharan African countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique and Senegal. The main findings are countries made significant efforts to improve energy access in rural communities with renewable energy systems and to improve the efficiency of energy use in urban communities. However, prerequisites such as investment in the network infrastructure and in planning tools, especially at the scale of municipalities, continue to impede progress in access and transition to energy sustainability.

AbstractGreening the Greyfields uses ‘greening’ as a term related to the regeneration of an urban area, as well as to the choice of environmentally beneficial (or at least neutral) technology for new urban development. This chapter will outline how new twenty-first-century green urban infrastructures can help realise the value proposition of regenerating established middle suburbs. The technologies covered include energy, water, and waste systems, along with smart information and communications technology (ICT) systems that are needed to make the ‘distributed green technology’ work efficiently and equitably. Micro-mobility (scooters and bikes) is likely to help accessibility at a precinct scale and will be discussed in the next chapter, although they certainly fit within the new distributed infrastructure model. While this chapter looks at ‘greening’ in terms of ‘green tech’, Chapter 10.1007/978-981-16-6238-6_5 will look at nature-based solutions more broadly. Greening the greyfields provides the opportunity for new ‘green tech’ to be introduced in urban development in an integrated way.

AbstractCities are like “heterotrophic organisms” because they are dependent on inflows of air, water, food, matter, and energy. Unlike nature, they pollute their own habitat through the production of waste outflows and emissions, extending beyond their own footprint. Data on the ecological footprint of cities have quantified, emblematically, the imbalance between in- and outflows but also what remains: polluted air, water, and soil. The rapid growth of urbanization is a matter of serious concern, but as a part of new development, it can be turned around with an approach in which cities become an “autotrophic organism”.In 2012 Taranto, a coastal city in Southern Italy with an important commercial and military port, was declared as the city “with the highest risk of environmental crisis” in Italy due to a large industrial area developed in the proximity of a highly populated urban settlement.The cause of pollution, a steel production plant, directly employs approximately 12.000 people and another 8.000 contractors indirectly, making it Taranto’s main economic driver.The conflict between economy and environment in the city of Taranto, make it a peculiar case study to be approached with the concept of a Democratic Landscape. This concept reads the territory beyond the natural environment, also recognizing the wellbeing of the inhabitants.After the analysis of a Democratic Landscape in relation to the concept of an “autotrophic organism”, this contribution explores the transformation by regeneration of the ecosystem and the economic regime. In redeveloping a city like Taranto, changing its function from a heterotrophic organism to an autotroph organism, the approach of the so-called “linking open-loop system circularity” is more appropriate. It more adequately describes the system than what is commonly understood for circularity at the building scale of “reduce, reuse, recycle of resources”. Circularity as an attitude brings together many elements that can be considered generic for each project: it can be about recycling or reuse, cutting costs or time, and output of CO2 through reducing material inflow and the transport of materials.In the context of the Democratic Landscape and an autotropic organism, the approach of “linking open-loop system circularity” is tested on two scales in Taranto. One, on the large scale, proposing multiple reuses of agricultural crops after remediation and two, at the local scale, in rebuilding a portion of the city by reusing the demolished buildings materials.The need to rethink and redesign the flow of resources such as building materials, water, food, and energy is essential to the future sustainability of cities. It involves thinking about how to use existing resources rather than dispose of them as in the linear model. It also means establishing new economic models in order to make a sustainable city, flows of intelligent growth and the creation of an identity for a communal sense of belonging. Together, these create a democratic, autotrophic landscape that can sustain a future.

AbstractPort and city authorities all over Europe and beyond are striving with finding solutions able to combine sustainability with economic growth. Several global urgencies in fact, such as climate change, energy transition, the exponential changes in the scale of ports and ships and last but not least the economic and health shock related to the coronavirus pandemic, are challenging the spaces where ports physically meet their cities, generating processes of caesura within the urban patterns with consequent impacts on the quality of life. In port cities, infrastructures and energy flows overlap with city flows and patterns that change with different rhythms and temporalities. This discrepancy creates abandonment and marginality between port and city. This today is no longer sustainable. New approaches and solutions that look at integration and circularity rather than separation are necessary.Circularity has been widely discussed in the literature. However, the concept still remains very controversial, especially when it comes to port cities where new definitions are needed in particular to better understand the spatial dimension of circularity. The Rotterdam therefore case study stands exemplary. Here, the concept of the circular economy refers mostly to the theme of obsolete industrial buildings and marginal that are reinserted again within the urban metabolism. The case of Rotterdam points out that the competition of the port today goes through the quality of its relationship spaces and the ability of the different actors involved in the planning process to hold together economic growth and environmental sustainability. The areas along the river are in fact the most fascinating places in the city and today they are ready for a different use. In order for the city to become an attractive place to live it is necessary to build new, innovative and sustainable spatial visions. This will lead to scenarios of sustainable coexistence between port and city. Therefore, these two agendas (sustainable port and city attractiveness) came together in the area known as Makers district (M4H) which, together with RDM campus, represents the Rotterdam testing ground for innovation.Therefore, this chapter, by arguing that ports will play a crucial role in the transition towards more circularity investigates how to make it happen and how to transform the challenges of the port into opportunities for a territorial regeneration towards new forms of integration. In order to answer the question, the case of Rotterdam is presented to analyse a model of urban regeneration where different planning agencies—mainly port authority, municipality, universities and private parties—work together at different scales to define a sustainable coexistence of interests. The research, which draws data on existing literature and policy documents analysis, firstly introduces the spatial and governance structures of the city of Rotterdam as part of a bigger metropolitan region. Secondly, it analyses the case of “Stadshavens strategy” as an emblematic example to overcome conflicts and path dependencies at the intersection of land and water. Finally, it concludes by highlighting some limitations and path dependencies that could make the transition to new forms of the circular economy very difficult in the future.

From a research for the Metropolitan City of Turin on the flows of matter, energy, services, people and information between the metro-mountain and metro-urban subsystems, it has emerged that the ecosystem flows always have a degree of openness to the outside, which requires an assessment of the positive or negative effects on ecosystems on a larger scale, up to the global one. In perspective, less sectoral and more multifunctional visions of the interventions seem to be required, which also recognize the mountain as a new central location as a privileged place to experiment with alternative life models.

AbstractUrban mobility and the transport of people have been increasing in volume inexorably for decades. Despite the advantages and opportunities mobility has brought to our society, there are also severe drawbacks such as the transport sector’s role as one of the main contributors to greenhouse-gas emissions and traffic jams. In the future, an increasing number of people will be living in large urban settings, and therefore, these problems must be solved to assure livable environments. The rapid progress of information and communication, and geographic information technologies, has paved the way for urban informatics and smart cities, which allow for large-scale urban analytics as well as supporting people in their complex mobile decision making. This chapter demonstrates how geosmartness, a combination of novel spatial-data sources, computational methods, and geospatial technologies, provides opportunities for scientists to perform large-scale spatio-temporal analyses of mobility patterns as well as to investigate people’s mobile decision making. Mobility-pattern analysis is necessary for evaluating real-time situations and for making predictions regarding future states. These analyses can also help detect behavioral changes, such as the impact of people’s travel habits or novel travel options, possibly leading to more sustainable forms of transport. Mobile technologies provide novel ways of user support. Examples cover movement-data analysis within the context of multi-modal and energy-efficient mobility, as well as mobile decision-making support through gaze-based interaction.

The existing building stock presents a high potential of energy savings and CO2 emissions reductions. To this purpose, literature provides novel city-scale building-oriented studies, aimed at developing suitable tools for stakeholders, city planners, and decision-makers. To achieve an effective urban energy planning, urban energy systems (UES) models are developed; they employ a multi-domain approach, embracing the complex interactions in urban areas, such as energy flows, environmental indicators, social and economic factors. To perform an advanced modelling and to simulate the complexity of the UES, ICT (information and communications technology) represents nowadays the right answer to the needs of integration of data, tools, and actors in different domains. The chapter investigates the current studies in the field of building stock energy modeling and the application of advanced technologies to develop UES models. As an exemplification, the technological approach followed in the SEMANCO project to support urban scale energy modelling is presented.

Cities are a complex mass of morphological properties of many city fragments, which play a major role in energy consumption. Urban form, urban patterns, or city fragments can also be seen as defined by algorithms or form generators. Cities are designed taking into account infrastructure, city standards and land use regulations. Energy efficiency of the urban form may be understood as the balance between gains and losses of energy, which may depend on a set of parameters mostly defined by the geometrical shape of the buildings and the distance between them. The study starts from the development and analysis of 60 hypothetical models in order to evaluate their energy efficiency potential. The Galapagos Evolutionary Solver is used as a tool in order to find the set of parameters, which brings to the morphological properties the optimal combination of density and surface-to-volume ratio. At the final stage morphological properties of 64 Prague’s patterns were selected. Computer simulation and analysis is performed using the models extracted from the virtual Google Earth model of Prague. During the process of evaluation of the samples, the relationship between the urban form and such parameters as plot coverage, surface-to-volume ratio and the incident solar radiation was established and potentially higher energy efficient structures were indicated. As the result of analysis the interrelation between urban form and energy efficiency was established, which allowed to identify the urban patterns with the higher potential of energy efficiency.

Urban consumption is growing with every year and the studies of urban form, density, transportation, and infrastructure are becoming more popular research topics. Mixed-use development is widely recognized and discussed subject of urban sustainability. It helps to cope with energy and transportation related problems in urban environment, forms walking-friendly, economically and socially vital communities. Although mixed land use is the key planning principle of sustainable development and this term frequently appears in the urban planning strategies and literature, it is rarely elaborated upon with substantive and empirical support. Furthermore – the standard mathematical models and methods for quantifying this parameter in most cases are meant for macro-scale, e.g. comparison between cities, districts. This approach miss the human scale – the scale of walkable neighbourhood, and is not suitable to support local planning decisions and detailed measures. This study performs functional mix analysis of Klaipėda City (Lithuania) with emphasis on neighbourhood scale. The demonstrated model proves the importance of scale factor and adds another dimension to existing methods providing background for micro-scale studies of urban form.

The underpinning elements of sustainable communities are centered on economic security, renewable energy resources, reliable infrastructure, and ecological protection. The geomorphology of urban areas is altered due to human activity leading to change in land use characteristics and resources availability. Research has shown that global population has increased drastically over the last three decades resulting in depleted efficiency of regional resources. Because of this, obtaining sustainable energy platforms is a world-wide concern. In evaluating the ability of urban communities to support sustainable elements, both spatial and temporal influences must be considered. As a result a spatial analysis model will be used to assess the geomorphological and land use aspects of urban watersheds to support sustainable communities’ platform. These data will provide insight in essential components in need of environmental restoration that contribute to future renewable resources which can then be applied on a global scale.

The thermal response of a large city including the energy production aspects of it are explored for a large and complex city using urbanized atmospheric mesoscale modeling. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesocale model is coupled to a multi-layer urban canopy model that considers thermal and mechanical effects of the urban environment including a building scale energy model to account for anthropogenic heat contributions due to indoor-outdoor temperature differences. This new urban parameterization is used to evaluate the evolution and the resulting urban heat island formation associated to a 3-day heat wave in New York City (NYC) during the summer of 2010. High resolution (250 m.) urban canopy parameters (UCPs) from the National Urban Database were employed to initialize the multi-layer urban parameterization. The precision of the numerical simulations is evaluated using a range of observations. Data from a dense network of surface weather stations, wind profilers and Lidar measurements are compared to model outputs over Manhattan and its surroundings during the 3-days event. The thermal and drag effects of buildings represented in the multilayer urban canopy model improves simulations over urban regions giving better estimates of the surface temperature and wind speed. An accurate representation of the nocturnal urban heat island registered over NYC in the event was obtained from the improved model. The accuracy of the simulation is further assessed against more simplified urban parameterizations models with positive results with new approach. Results are further used to quantify the energy consumption of the buildings during the heat wave, and to explore alternatives to mitigate the intensity of the UHI during the extreme event.

Major metropolitan centers experience challenges during management of peak electrical loads, typically occurring during extreme summer events. These peak loads expose the reliability of the electrical grid and customers may incur in additional charges for peak load management in regulated demand-response markets. This opens the need for the development of analytical tools that can inform building managers and utilities about near future conditions so they are better able to avoid peak demand charges, reducing building operational costs. In this article, we report on a tool and methodology to forecast peak loads at the City Scale using New York City (NYC) as a test case. The city of New York experiences peak electric demand loads that reach up to 11 GW during the summertime, and are projected to increase to over 12 GW by 2025, as reported by the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO). The forecast is based on the Weather Research and Forecast model version 3.5, coupled with a building environment parameterization and building energy model. Urban morphology parameters are assimilated from the New York Primary Land Use Tax Lot Output (PLUTO), while the weather component of the model is initialized daily from the North American Mesoscale (NAM) model. A city-scale analysis is centered in the summer months of June-July 2015 which included an extreme heat event (i.e. heat wave). The 24-hr city-scale weather and energy forecasts show good agreement with the archived data from both weather stations records and energy records by NYISO.

Over the past half century, burgeoning urban areas such as Chicago have experienced elevated anthropogenic-induced alteration of local climates within urbanized regions. As a result, urban heat island (UHI) effect in these areas has intensified. Global climate change can further modulate UHI’s negative effects on human welfare and energy conservation. Various numerical models exist to understand, monitor, and predict UHI and its ramifications, but none can resolve all the relevant physical phenomena that span a wide range of scales. To this end, we have applied a comprehensive multi-scale approach to study UHI of Chicago. The coupling of global, mesoscale, and micro-scale models has allowed for dynamical downscaling from global to regional to city and finally to neighborhood scales. The output of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM5), a general circulation model (GCM), provides future climate scenario, and its coupling with Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model enables studies on mesoscale behavior at urban scales. The output from the WRF model at 0.333 km resolution is used to drive a micro-scale model, ENVI-met. Through this coupling the bane of obtaining reliable initial and boundary conditions for the micro-scale model from limited available observational records has been aptly remedied. It was found that the performance of ENVI-met improves when WRF output, rather than observational data, is supplied for initial conditions. The success of the downscaling procedure allowed reasonable application of micro-scale model to future climate scenario provided by CCSM5 and WRF models. The fine (2 m) resolution of ENVI-met enables the study of two key effects of UHI at micro-scale: decreased pedestrian comfort and increased building-scale energy consumption. ENVI-met model’s explicit treatment of key processes that underpin urban microclimate makes it captivating for pedestrian comfort analysis. Building energy, however, is not modeled by ENVI-met so we have developed a simplified building energy model to estimate future cooling needs.