From a design perspective, cities are in a unique position when it comes to climate change.

“Constructing and operating buildings is responsible for just over a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions, so there is no doubt that finding a pathway to net zero carbon in our buildings and cities is crucial to solving the biggest crisis facing humanity: climate change”, says Louise Monger is Vice President, Digital Buildings, with Schneider Electric.

In a recent article in the AFR, Monger writes that “Constructing and operating buildings is responsible for just over a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions, so there is no doubt that finding a pathway to net zero carbon in our buildings and cities is crucial to solving the biggest crisis facing humanity: climate change.”

“Existing buildings can benefit from retrofits with energy-efficient technologies, such as automatically adapting the heating or cooling conditions based on occupancy levels. Overlay that with technologies that make the management and operations of a building more efficient, and we are starting to solve the problem at scale — delivering an estimated 30 per cent reduction in energy use and operational costs.”

Monger goes on to say that “The technology for net-zero carbon cities exists today. But cities are a complex dynamic of thousands of buildings, businesses, industries and stakeholders. Driving change of this nature at scale is hard. It requires alignment on objectives, specialised skills and healthy doses of collaboration, grit and determination.”

“In simple terms city emissions are made up of buildings (homes and businesses, including factories and office buildings) and transport systems (vehicles or public transport). Achieving net zero carbon will require transition to clean energy and for energy efficiency measures to be implemented at scale,” she says.

According to Dan Ringelstein, an architect and urban designer with SOM’s City Design Practice in London, a holistic approach to urban design can tie all of these threads together into a complete, coherent vision.

“New, large-scale urban development projects could implement even more progressive measures beyond net-zero. If a majority of new developments can aspire to become “net-positive” and produce more energy than they consume, this could help overcome deficiencies elsewhere, and allow cities and nations to reach key targets more rapidly,” he says.

But is not just about building design.

As Ringelstein says, “Cities are very complex organisms. We have to consider not just built structures — roads, infrastructure, buildings — but also the natural environment, economic resiliency, social equity, and cultural history. City planners and architects don’t have all the answers.”

“We need to start a broad dialogue with experts from many fields and work together to invent solutions.”

In other words, the three key areas that have an enormous potential to transform the sustainable impact of cities are: energy, transportation, and technology.

“Privately owned public spaces have always been important in New York City,” says Michelle Delk, partner and landscape architecture discipline director at Snøhetta. That idea is “elevated right now as people are more concerned about climate change.”

Among the largest sources of emissions globally, they are also highly vulnerable to its consequences.

According to one report, 70% of cities worldwide are already dealing with the effects of climate change, and nearly all cities face some kind of risk.

“But they are also potentially powerful agents of change. Policy at the national level has moved painfully slow in most countries, but urban areas have the authority to make meaningful changes in land use and zoning, transportation, green space, and energy policy,” says  Meaghan O'Neill writing in Architectural Digest.

As Monger also notes: “Widespread investment in smart energy infrastructure and the digitisation of operations will enable the collection of masses of data. That data can be leveraged to make decisions in real time and anticipate the needs of users improving the comfort, experience, efficiency, and the sustainability of the building.”

“Net zero cities will require integration of smart energy infrastructure, clean energy, and ultra-efficient buildings, but also leadership and determination. It means designing buildings, precincts and infrastructure for the future we aspire to.”

As well as a transformation to their transport networks and energy generation policies.

Without this, we will never become carbon neutral - whether by 2050 or for that matter, 3050.

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