Energy efficient cities: assessment tools and benchmarking practices: [papers presented during the Energy sector management assistance programme's sessions at the 5th Urban research symposium held in Marseille, France from June 28-30, 2009]

Energy is intrinsic to urban settlements, embedded in the built environment, and directly used to power socio-economic activity, transport and communications, and enable the provision of municipal services. In response to the crucial role of urban energy efficiency for environmentally sustainable and inclusive development processes, ESMAP’s Energy Efficient Cities Initiative (EECI) was launched in October 2008 to facilitate the implementation of practical energy solutions that meet the development priorities of cities, and simultaneously build their climate resilience. Chapter 1 begins with a contextual background on the inter-related associations between energy, socio-economic progress and urbanization. This edited volume compiles seven topical papers presented at the two EECI sponsored sessions during the World Bank’s fifth Urban Research Symposium, held at Marseille, France, June 28-30, 2009. Chapters 2–8 comprise the papers presented at these sessions: i) tools and assessment approaches on energy efficient urban development, and ii) good practices that promote low carbon sectoral interventions. The analytical tools and policy insights offered in this volume extend from integrated assessments of new cities to the impacts of socio-economic, climate and demographic changes on existing cities. Sector-specific interventions are discussed in the context of tools to ‘green’ buildings in Australia, the transformation to efficient lighting systems in the Philippines, and Demand Responsive Transport Systems in France. In addition, the documentation and benchmarking of a variety of low-carbon and carbon neutral good practices provides a range of practical insights on plausible energy efficient interventions in urban sectors. Thus the chapters in this publication comprise significant contributions to the ESMAP objective of mainstreaming and leveraging knowledge and initiatives on urban energy efficiency. Following from them, the last chapter 9 provides a contextual overview of ESMAP’s programmatic priorities to support energy efficient urban growth, to be effected through EECI.

With cities accounting for half the world's population today, and two-thirds of global energy demand, urbanization is exacting a serious toll on the environment. As rapid urban growth continues, energy use in cities and associated levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are projected to continue unabated; current projections indicate that approximately 70 percent of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, producing some 80 percent of the world's GHG emissions. Unfortunately, most of this urban growth will take place in developing countries, where the vast majority of people remain underserved by basic infrastructure service and where city authorities are under-resourced to shift current trajectories. Further, the developing regions of Africa and Asia are where the most rapid urbanization is taking place, and they are least able to cope with the uncertainties and extremities of climate impacts. The development and mainstreaming of energy-efficient and low-carbon urban pathways that curtail climate impacts without hampering the urban development agenda thus are essential to meeting such challenges. Reducing long-term energy use through efficiency also enhances energy security by decreasing dependence on imported and fossil fuel. In addition, lower energy costs free up a city's resources to improve or expand services while providing important local co-benefits, creating new jobs, enhancing competitiveness, improving air quality and health, and providing a better quality of life. The scope of the papers encapsulates all three urban contexts: new cities, expanding cities, and retrofitting existing cities. The range of policy-relevant conceptual tools and practices discussed during the sessions, and subsequently built upon in this volume, helps achieve a better understanding of leverage points for energy-efficiency interventions and helps catalyze solutions that will delink high levels of carbon-intensive energy use from urban growth without compromising local development priorities.

"Urban areas account for two-thirds of global energy requriements while housing half of the world's population. With current projections indicating that approximately 70 percent of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, an increase in urban energy use is inevitable. In the face of this growing energy demand, developing climate-friendly urban energy solutions, while protecting the urban development that is crucial to socioeconomic progress in developing countries, is imperative." "In an effort to catalyze solutions that would delink high levels of carbon-intensive energy use from urban growth, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the world Bank launchched the Energy Efficient Cities Initiative in October 2008. Energy Efficient Cities: Assessment Tools and Benchmarking Practices is a product of that initiative." "The analytical tools and policy insights offered in this volume extend from integrated assessments of new cities to the impacts of socioeconomic, climate, and demographic changes on existing cities, In addition, the documentation and benchmarking of a variety of low-carbon and carbon-neutral good practices provide a range of practical insights on plausible energy efficient interventions in urban sectors. This book will be of particular interest to policy makers, development practitioners, and decision makers in the private sector, as well as researchers within nongovernmental organizations and the academic community." "The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAR) is a global knowledge and technical assistance trust fund administered by the World Bank that assists low and middle-income countries to increase know how and institutional capacity to achieve environmentally sustainable energy solutions for poverty reduction and economic growth. For more information about the Energy Efficient Cities Initiative or about ESMAP's work with cities please visit our website at http://www.esmap.org/"--Jacket

Urban areas account for two-thirds of global energy requirements while housing approxi mately half of the world’s population. With current projections indicating that 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, an increase in urban energy use is inevitable. In the face of this growing energy demand, developing climate-friendly urban energy solutions, while protecting the urban development that is crucial to socioeconomic progress in developing countries, is imperative. In an effort to catalyze solutions that would delink high levels of carbon-intensive energy use from urban growth, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank launched the Energy Efficient Cities Initiative in October 2008. 'Energy Efficient Cities: Assessment Tools and Benchmarking Practices' is a product of that initiative.

The analytical tools and policy insights offered in this volume extend from integrated assessments of new cities to the impacts of socioeconomic, climate, and demographic changes on existing cities. In addition, the documentation and benchmarking of a variety of low-carbon and carbon-neutral good practices provide a range of practical insights on plausible energy effi cient interventions in urban sectors. This book will be of particular interest to policy makers, development practitioners, and decision makers in the private sector, as well as researchers within nongovernmental organizations and the academic community.

Urban areas account for two-thirds of global energy requirements while housing approxi mately half of the world’s population. With current projections indicating that 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, an increase in urban energy use is inevitable. In the face of this growing energy demand, developing climate-friendly urban energy solutions, while protecting the urban development that is crucial to socioeconomic progress in developing countries, is imperative. In an effort to catalyze solutions that would delink high levels of carbon-intensive energy use from urban growth, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank launched the Energy Efficient Cities Initiative in October 2008. 'Energy Efficient Cities: Assessment Tools and Benchmarking Practices' is a product of that initiative. The analytical tools and policy insights offered in this volume extend from integrated assessments of new cities to the impacts of socioeconomic, climate, and demographic changes on existing cities. In addition, the documentation and benchmarking of a variety of low-carbon and carbon-neutral good practices provide a range of practical insights on plausible energy effi cient interventions in urban sectors. This book will be of particular interest to policy makers, development practitioners, and decision makers in the private sector, as well as researchers within nongovernmental organizations and the academic community. Annotation This is a collection of papers presented at a symposium on Energy Efficient Cities. The topics covered include transportation-driven greenhouse gas emissions, green building rating tools, best practives in carbon-neutral urban infrastructure design, and much more