What should our cities look like as we move further into the 21st century? How will our future cities incorporate sustainable practices and how can we ensure that building new cities does not push us further into climate crisis?
These were some of the questions asked by Carl Elefante, Senior Fellow, Architecture 2030, and Ren21’s Research Manager, Lea Renalder at their talk at the Action Hub at COP26. Ren21 is a think tank focused on renewable energy, which earlier this year published its Renewables in Cities 2021 Global Status Report. The report is an overview of the current state of play regards renewables in cities, with regard to planning and construction, policy, citizen participation and investment.
It is a vital topic, particularly when you consider the following: more than two thirds of the buildings that exist today will still exist in 2030, and, unless they are retrofitted, will still be pumping out emissions through their energy use. Even more striking: the global building stock will double in the next forty years, and so it is incredibly important that new buildings are as climate smart and sustainable as possible.
The good news is that urban commitments to directly support renewables are increasing. In 2020 alone, more than 260 cities either set a new renewable energy target or passed a new policy. By the end of 2020, more than 830 cities in 72 countries had adopted renewable energy targets, with more than 600 cities worldwide having targets for 100 per cent renewable energy. Cities have also taken action away from fossil fuels: by 2020, over 10,500 cities had adopted targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and around 800 had committed to net-zero emissions, according to Ren21’s data. That’s an eight-fold increase on such commitments from 2019.
“The good news is that this is very doable and scalable. We are not struggling to figure out what technology will work,” Elfante says. “We have tech that is scalable, and we understand how it fits into a network of decarbonisation efforts.” Elefante breaks cities into two parts: the high-rise city centres, and the low-rise suburban sprawl that surrounds the centres.
“With [smaller] buildings, there is not one building that cannot be a zero net energy building; there’s not one building that cannot include renewable energy resources to take care of itself,” he says. “We have seen huge issues with storms and electricity interruptions [in the US], so the idea [that] you can become energy independent is hugely important and is the definition of resilience. And, if you start to look at what our health considerations are – the top of the list Is pollution.”
Of course, one big issue is the cost around retrofitting homes in a renewable way, where the installation of solar panels can be prohibitively expensive for many homeowners. Yet, says Elefante, retrofitting has a huge number of benefits. “You are taking an explosive and toxic material like natural gas out of your house, which is a hugely positive step. And to start, you can do something simple like replace your light bulbs with LED bulbs,” he adds.
When it comes to the denser, urban centres of cities around the world, the challenges are very different. “There’s lots of tall buildings and not much room to put solar on,” Elefante says. “I do see more architecture and engineering firms solving the problem of attaching vertically-mounted solar technology, so this is something that we can do now.”
The fact that these challenges are very much surmountable, was echoed by Renalder, particularly – given the urgency of both cutting emissions and reducing pollution – due to the growing political will to make change happen. “Air pollution is front and centre, and we can use that as a lever and show politicians that we can cut emissions and at the same time tackle the challenge of reducing air pollution,” she says.
The good news is that more and more cities – Elefante name checks everyone from Boston and LA to Sydney as making progress – are moving towards a more renewable future. “It makes sense on every level,” Renalder says. “From a public health perspective, from an emissions perspective, and from an investment and quality of life perspective. Green cities will the most attractive cities in the next few decades, and the sooner cities start realising this the better.”
Four Cities Making Progress
Heidelberg, Germany
The city aims to be climate neutral by 2050, and in 2019 it was one of the first cities in the world to declare a climate emergency. It also passed its Climate Action Plan the same year, complementing the city’s 2014 masterplan for “100 per cent climate protection.” The Climate Action Plan sets out 30 actions for the city to achieve, including renovating old building stock; enforcing passive house standards and renewable energy requirements for new neighbourhoods; scaling up renewables in district heating and the municipal power utility; improving public transport, and increasing green spaces across the city.
Palmas, Brazil
Palmas City, the capital of the state of Tocantins in north-central Brazil, aims to generate 100 per cent of its electricity from solar power by 2022, and to have 100 per cent of its local electricity energy supply based on solar energy by 2035 (foregoing the use of hydropower from the regional grid). Hydroelectric dams located on the Tocantins River account for nearly 97 per cent of the electricity consumed in the city, in addition to providing power elsewhere in the country.
Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide’s municipal operations have been powered by 100 per cent renewables since July 2020, using electricity generated from wind farms and new solar farms. This long-term commitment supports the Adelaide Carbon Neutral Strategy 2015-2025, which sets a target for carbon neutrality by 2025. As a step towards achieving this goal, the City adopted the Carbon Neutral Adelaide Action Plan 2016-2021 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plan sets out 104 actions for council and local government under several low-emission pathways: energy-efficient buildings, promoting walking and cycling, hybrid and electric vehicles for individuals and businesses, and introducing “zero-emission” transport.
Cocody, Côte d’Ivoire
The city released its Green City Plan in 2017, pledging to reduce carbon emissions 70 per cent by 2030. The city also agreed to complement efforts to achieve the national goal of 42 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2030. Cocody Green City is an ambitious plan that aims to minimise local greenhouse gas emissions while also creating 100,000 direct jobs and 400,000 indirect jobs; promoting women’s empowerment and increasing citizen participation in adopting sustainable living.