1,721,019 research outputs found
Smart and sustainable projects at the energy-district level. How to assess them based on the co-benefits paradigm
Full text linkThe main topic of this doctoral thesis is the co-benefit concept, here applied as an assessment paradigm to innovative urban projects. In this research, a co-benefit is defined as any positive impact or effect, regardless of the intentionality, exceeding the primary project goal. More specifically, because the projects here analyzed are those aiming at (re)developing smart and sustainable energy districts, CO2 emission reduction and energy savings are considered the twin primary goals. To investigate the applicability of the assessment paradigm, the work focuses both on methodological and operative issues, each developed in a single research. The general topic and the four papers are summarized in chapter 1 “Introduction and research papers presentation”, also including a brief overview of complementary research activities, and then further developed in as many chapters. The core of the work starts with two general investigations concerning (i) the co-benefits identification and classification under the smart-city perspective, and (ii) the application to them of the most suitable monetization techniques. Then, it concludes with two instances of investigative fieldwork into co-benefits, about (iii) the marginal implicit value of energy performance in residential properties, and (iv) the priorities declared by houseowners as they consider a deep-energy retrofit.
To identify and classify the co-benefits, with respect to the various project activities, it is necessary to establish a common lexicon among the various expressions and definitions employed by projects. This phase is also needed to define the boundaries of the investigation, as well as the reference scale, and to avoid double counting. In chapter 2 “Overview and taxonomy of co-benefits based on European experiences”, I propose a classification rooted in practical experiences reported by projects dealing with the implementation of green neighborhoods and urban renewable-energy systems. Due to the vastness and diversity of urban projects labeled as smart, sustainable, or both, it was also necessary to identify a subset of them having similar characteristics, here named Smart and Sustainable Energy-District Projects (SSEDPs). Thus, the focus was on 36 finished or still-running SSEDPs funded by the European Union (EU) within two relevant initiatives: “Concerto” and “Smart Cities and Communities”. The anticipated or already experienced co-benefits were extracted by accessing official sources (e.g., websites, reports) and reviewing them with respect to the specialized literature, obtaining 156 different expressions referring to positive impacts. After a thorough and iterative comparison by a group of experts, a short list of 19 key urban co-benefits is extracted. Finally, to show how relevant is the contribution of these projects to improving the quality of life of citizens and urban competitiveness, a smart-city-based taxonomy is elaborated, by sorting the co-benefits into seven groupings: smart natural environment, smart services, smart community, smart governance, smart economy, smart built environment, and smart mobility.
Chapter 3 “Economic assessment methodologies” faces the issue of providing an overview of suitable methodologies for economic assessment, and of creating a framework for evaluating the key urban co-benefits recognized by EU-funded SSEDPs. The aim is to explore the feasibility of a co-benefit approach to a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) being applied to the decision-making framework by quantifying, in monetary terms, all the positive effects (benefits or inflow), as well as the negatives (costs or outflow). Due to the specificity of some co-benefits, besides direct-market value, non-market techniques have been identified as applicable to price them. Such techniques investigate consumers’ preferences starting from individual purchasing habits (revealed preferences) or asking them directly about their preferences (stated preferences). It showed that, for a minority of co-benefits, even the monetization of the human capital should be assessed to complete the whole picture. As a result, looking at the reference literature and involving a multidisciplinary team of experts, an “assessment menu” is developed, suggesting indicators and techniques. The menu also includes some estimated values reported by other studies, examples of practical application in similar contexts, and techniques or approaches suggested by analogy to the reference literature.
The chapter 4 “A hedonic price model of energy performance of buildings” is tested in the city of Bolzano. This estimation technique identifies price factors (transactions or asking prices) according to the premise that an asset’s price is determined both by the intrinsic characteristics of the good being sold and extrinsic ones. The research constitutes the first attempt at breaking down the local residential property price and including, among the relevant factors, internal characteristics such as the energy performance certificate (EPC) class. By accessing a specialized real-estate website, 1,130 selling advertisements are collected, then geolocated, and analyzed by using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. The aim was to test the presence of spatial autocorrelation, and to eventually correct the estimation based on the ordinary least-squares (OLS) method. In fact, a neglected consideration of spatial relationships, in the presence of spatial dependence would lead to biased results. After a careful refinement of the sample, the evaluation of the marginal contribution of EPC class in the determination of the asking price has been estimated in a 6.3% price premium, moving from lowest class (G) to middle classes (C or D), and a 9.5% when reaching the highest classes (A or B), ceteris paribus. Finally, the OLS-regression result is confirmed, after checking for spatial autocorrelation and testing the Spatial Lag model (the GIS software ArcMap and GeoDa were used).
In chapter 5 “A multiple benefits approach to understanding citizen priorities for deep-energy retrofitting”, the focus shifts from a specific co-benefit to a specific target group. Here, priorities declared by houseowners approaching a deep-energy retrofit are shown and weighted, adopting a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method. According to the test-phase results, a decision tree with five criteria and 15 subcriteria has been designed: four in “thermal and hygrometric comfort”; three in “design and architectural quality”, “acoustic comfort”, and “economic benefits”; and two in “sustainability”. Then, a pool of ten experts in the field of energy refurbishment and building works (selected among those working in South Tyrol) has been interviewed by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique, which enables evaluation of qualitative criteria through pairwise comparison. The “Super Decisions” software was used, which is specifically designed to support the data collection and results’ validation of AHP. Not surprisingly, the “economic-benefits” side plays a relevant role (38% of the global importance). However, a cross-sector analysis of expected benefits dealing with better health and well-being of occupants reveals that they cover 41% of the overall motivation. These points should be carefully considered not only in the design phase of a private project but also in the communication strategies and within each participatory phase of any project where the decision-maker (private or public) differs from the occupant.
The thesis culminates with chapter 6 “Conclusions”, where achieved results of all the four previously described investigations are briefly summarized and further developments are proposed as an impetus for deeper investigations or cross-cutting research
Influenza delle dinamiche spaziali nella formulazione dei modelli edonici: analisi del mercato residenziale tramite supporto GIS
Full text linkLo scopo di questa ricerca è quello di capire, attraverso l’utilizzo del metodo dei prezzi edonici, se e in quale modo la dichiarazione della prestazione energetica di un immobile residenziale è capitalizzata all’interno del suo prezzo di offerta. L’analisi è svolta nel contesto urbano della città di Bolzano, e per raffinare i risultati del modello sono introdotti attributi spazializzati relativi alla morfologia, struttura, servizi e qualità urbana. In questo modo l’ipotesi che il prezzo di offerta dell’abitazione possa essere calcolato sommando i valori marginali
delle sue singole caratteristiche (intrinseche ed estrinseche) viene
verificata considerando un modello spazializzato che espliciti il possibile contributo dell’autocorrelazione spaziale e gli effetti che questa determina sull’intorno
Smart Cities: dalla sperimentazione alla prassi in una prospettiva di riequilibrio energetico
Full text linkI Giovani Architetti di Padova propongono la loro ricerca condotta in sinergia con il territorio, le sue energie antropiche, le realtà sociali e culturali.Esplorare: con tutta probabilità, non stiamo attraversando una fase, una crisi; siamo di fatto entrati in un nuovo mondo. E la prima cosa da fare quando ci si addentra in un nuovo mondo è esplorare i nuovi territori, nei quali anche la professionalità dell'architetto, intesa come ambito disciplinare legato meramente al progetto di architettura non costituisce più soluzione univoca delle complessità di un'urbanità 2.0
SINFONIA Project Mass Appraisal: Beyond The Value Of Energy Performance In Buildings
Full text linkEnergy retrofit of existing buildings stock is today a major urban challenge and opportunity. Although a market appreciation of green buildings is generally recognized, specificities related to different countries, contexts and sectors still need further investigation. Moreover, the energy retrofit carries with it multiple elements, ranging from monetary savings to personal fulfillment of living greener. The ongoing European smart city project SINFONIA offers the chance to analyze a double international case study, and to estimate expected positive effects on dwellings’ value, due to energy retrofit measures undertaken at the district level. This paper, starting from previous similar experiences, designs an operational approach based on spatial hedonic price method and analytic hierarchy process. Finally, it suggests how to develop a spatialized mass appraisal by linking results with a geographical information system. Such approach will contribute to assess the socio-economic impact of SINFONIA project and to evaluate the effectiveness of further smart city initiatives
Multiple Benefits of Smart Urban Energy Transition
No full textThis chapter offers an introduction to the multiple benefits concept, as a new paradigm to assess smart urban energy transition projects. By framing all the relevant positive outcomes and linking them to specific stakeholders, it would be possible to enhance the acceptance of the projects and to disclose their real worth. Focusing on most relevant European Union experiences, the first section outlines ongoing climate-energy strategies and links them with current urban challenges. Then it presents the integrated district approach, as a key element of urban energy transition, where actions on physical elements strictly relate to the enhancement of social and intellectual capital, to deliver innovation. The third part of the chapter addresses the issue of multiple benefits investigation and estimation at urban scale. It suggests a methodological approach for a taxonomy and proposes a short list of key urban co-benefits linked with the smart city dimensions. Before drawing conclusions, the chapter presents two recent experiences of smart-urban energy transition projects, strategically addressing the multiple benefits concept in its development
Institutional and policy context of energy communities in France and Italy: how to increase the welfare-enhancing capacity of the sector
No full textEnergy communities flourish when specific conditions related to institutional design, territorial characteristics, and policy context are suitable. Investigating and comparing the background of this movement in selected countries provides a better understanding of the similarities and differences between markets and policy-driven initiatives. Selected case studies from France and Italy, ranging from the historical energy cooperatives in the Alpine region to country-wide innovative models, provide evidence of their welfare-enhancing roles. Comparative examination of the institutional design, policy context, operational structure, and benefits offers insights both for decision-makers and entrepreneurs willing to contribute to the further development of energy communities
Algoritmi basati sul Causal Loop Diagram a supporto dei processi di rigenerazione urbana. Un focus sui quartieri a energia positiva
No full textCo-benefits of Smart and Sustainable Energy District Projects: an overview on economic assessment methodologies
No full textA case-based learning methodology to predict barriers to implementation of smart and sustainable urban energy projects
No full textImplementation of smart and sustainable energy projects in urban areas encounters different barriers. These barriers range from common financial shortage to specific constraints, which depend on local socio-economic, environmental and political characteristics of each city. In spite of various experiences of European cities in smart and sustainable energy projects, the transfer of lessons learnt on how to manage barriers in new projects is inefficient. The main aim of this paper is to apply a case-based learning methodology to predict barriers to a given smart and sustainable energy project. To achieve this aim, a learning methodology is proposed and applied to the case study of the city of Bolzano, within SINFONIA project. SINFONIA is a European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) project for integration of smart and sustainable energy solutions at urban district level. The proposed methodology operates in two main steps: first, identifying and selecting the most similar European smart and sustainable energy cases to the target-case (Bolzano within SINFONIA); second, investigating barriers to implementation of selected cases. The results show that the barriers fragmented ownership of properties, limited access to capital and cost disincentives, and perception of interventions as complicated and expensive, with negative social or environmental impacts are highly probable to occur in Bolzano within SINFONIA. The proposed methodology is applicable and replicable for urban planners and decision-makers in different territorial levels to facilitate and accelerate the implementation of smart and sustainable energy projects
Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions. Results of SSPCR 2015
No full textThis book presents cutting-edge work on innovative planning methodologies, tools and experiences aimed at supporting the transition of our cities and regions towards a more smart and sustainable dimension. This book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the international conference “Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions 2015”, held in November 2015 in Bolzano, Italy. Contributions from different research fields within urban and regional planning from the scientific as well as the professional community are presented: energy planning for cities and regions, how to couple the energy-climate goals with the development or renovation of the built environment and how to tackle the vulnerability to climate change; smart and sustainable technologies, big data, integrated infrastructures and mobility management, from holistic geospatial tools to innovative apps and Internet of Things; benefits, costs and opportunities of urban transition toward a more smart and sustainable dimension, accounting and assessment of values and trade-offs within the decision making processes; governance for smart and sustainable growth, fostering place-based policy-making, active and effective stakeholders’ participation, co-production and public-private partnerships; cooperation and demonstration projects: their role in fostering the adoption of new approaches and technologies, towards the development of win-win solutions
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