ENAC Seminar Series by Prof. C. Binder
Event details
Date | 12.06.2019 |
Hour | 09:00 › 10:00 |
Speaker | Prof. C. Binder |
Location | |
Category | Conferences - Seminars |
09:00 – 10:00 – Prof. Claudia Binder
Head of Laboratory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems,
Swiss Mobiliar Chair for Urban Ecology and Sustainable Living, EPFL
Transition towards sustainable urban systems: the example of the energy transition
Our world is becoming more and more urban. Already today, 50% of the world’s population lives in cities and this share is expected to keep increasing. Although cities only cover 3% of Earth’s surface, globally they account for 75% of global CO2 emissions, 75% of world’s resource consumption and 50% of waste production. However, cities also generate 80% of global GDP, provide education, and are hotspots for innovation. This ambivalent role of cities raises the following questions:
What does sustainability mean in the context of living in a city? How can a transition towards more sustainable urban systems be conceived?
At the HERUS laboratory we approach these questions from three angles: first, we analyze the metabolism of cities and how human action at individual, group, and societal level affect it. Second, we address the question of how individuals and groups perceive and assess urban systems; specifically, what is sustainable for whom? Third, we conceptualize possible transition pathways towards more sustainable urban systems. Across these themes, we pursue an inter- and transdisciplinary approach, specifically addressing the question of how science and practice can work together to shape and promote the transitions towards sustainability.
The presentation will illustrate the abovementioned aspects by taking the example of the energy system as one of the key constituent sub-system for the transition towards more sustainable urban systems. An important element in the transition towards a sustainable energy system is the shift from a mainly centralized, fossil-fuel system to a more localized, renewable one. This transition, however, requires not only the development of new energy technologies but also radical, systemic shifts in deeply held values and beliefs, in patterns of social behavior, and in governance regimes. We present results of an integrative analysis of the energy transition. We show (i) how institutional development and infrastructure development co-evolve; (ii) scenarios of the energy demand in the housing sector; and (iii) the determinants affecting household decision making and consequently energy demand in the housing sector. Finally, some implications for future research on transitions of urban systems are drawn.
Head of Laboratory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems,
Swiss Mobiliar Chair for Urban Ecology and Sustainable Living, EPFL
Transition towards sustainable urban systems: the example of the energy transition
Our world is becoming more and more urban. Already today, 50% of the world’s population lives in cities and this share is expected to keep increasing. Although cities only cover 3% of Earth’s surface, globally they account for 75% of global CO2 emissions, 75% of world’s resource consumption and 50% of waste production. However, cities also generate 80% of global GDP, provide education, and are hotspots for innovation. This ambivalent role of cities raises the following questions:
What does sustainability mean in the context of living in a city? How can a transition towards more sustainable urban systems be conceived?
At the HERUS laboratory we approach these questions from three angles: first, we analyze the metabolism of cities and how human action at individual, group, and societal level affect it. Second, we address the question of how individuals and groups perceive and assess urban systems; specifically, what is sustainable for whom? Third, we conceptualize possible transition pathways towards more sustainable urban systems. Across these themes, we pursue an inter- and transdisciplinary approach, specifically addressing the question of how science and practice can work together to shape and promote the transitions towards sustainability.
The presentation will illustrate the abovementioned aspects by taking the example of the energy system as one of the key constituent sub-system for the transition towards more sustainable urban systems. An important element in the transition towards a sustainable energy system is the shift from a mainly centralized, fossil-fuel system to a more localized, renewable one. This transition, however, requires not only the development of new energy technologies but also radical, systemic shifts in deeply held values and beliefs, in patterns of social behavior, and in governance regimes. We present results of an integrative analysis of the energy transition. We show (i) how institutional development and infrastructure development co-evolve; (ii) scenarios of the energy demand in the housing sector; and (iii) the determinants affecting household decision making and consequently energy demand in the housing sector. Finally, some implications for future research on transitions of urban systems are drawn.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- ENAC
Contact
- Cristina Perez