How Eco-innovation Districts Can Accelerate Urban Climate Action

Greenovation ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 151-165
Author(s):  
Joan Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Urban Climate ◽  
Green Building ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Green Technologies ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The City ◽  
Smart Infrastructure

Eco-innovation districts are defined areas in which cities concentrate state-of-the-art technologies in green building, smart infrastructure, and renewable energy to create sustainable, resilient, and inclusive districts that accelerate action on climate change and sustainability. This chapter addresses four questions: Does the district perform better than or as well as the rest of the city on per capita carbon emissions? How well does the district serve as a test bed for green technologies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Does the city employ a deliberate process of organizational learning that allows city planners and elected officials to apply effective practices and lessons learned from district-scale experimentation? What measures have been put in place to ensure a diversity of income levels? It also examines whether the experimentation undertaken in European eco-innovation districts can be replicated in the United States.

Greenovation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Green Technologies ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Tiny Amount ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
National Governments ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
The City

Collectively, cities take up a relatively tiny amount of land on the earth, yet emit 72 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Clearly, cities need to be at the center of any broad effort to reduce climate change. This book argues that too many cities are only implementing random acts of greenness that will do little to address the climate crisis. It instead calls for “greenovation”—using the city as a test bed for adopting and perfecting green technologies for more energy-efficient buildings, transportation, and infrastructure more broadly. Further, the text contends that while many city mayors cite income inequality as a pressing problem, few cities are connecting climate action and social justice—another aspect of greenovation. Focusing on the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in cities, buildings, energy, and transportation, the book examines how greenovating cities are reducing emissions overall and lays out an agenda for fostering and implementing urban innovations that can help reverse the path toward irrevocable climate damage. Drawing on interviews with practitioners in more than 20 North American and European cities, the book identifies the strategies and policies they are employing and how support from state, provincial, and national governments has supported or thwarted their efforts.

scholarly journals Representing ‘Place’: City Climate Commissions and the Institutionalisation of Experimental Governance in Edinburgh

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Creasy ◽  
Matthew Lane ◽  
Alice Owen ◽  
Candice Howarth ◽  
Dan Van der Horst
Keyword(s):  
Urban Governance ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Urban Transformation ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Urban Futures ◽  
Key Industries ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Insight Into

Against the backdrop of increasingly fragmented and poly-centric urban climate governance, this article examines the establishment of city climate ‘commissions’ as an experimental means of addressing the challenge of climate change at the city-scale. In doing so it addresses the question: What constitutes diversity in voices and perspectives when trying to represent the city as a place for climate action? To answer this question, the article presents an analysis of the Edinburgh Climate Commission’s establishment, drawing on participatory ethnographic research carried out by a researcher embedded within the project team. The account of how this new mode of urban governance was both conceptualised and then put into practice offers a new institutional angle to the literature on urban ‘experimentation.’ Through our reflective analysis we argue that aspirations to ensure pre-defined ‘key’ industries (high carbon emitters) are accounted for in commissioner recruitment, and an over-emphasis on capturing discernible ‘impacts’ in the short term (by involving organisations already pro-active in sustainable development) hindered an opportunity to embrace new perspectives on urban futures and harness the innovative potential of cities to engage with the multifaceted nature of the climate challenge. Furthermore, new insight into the relationship between local authorities and other ‘place-based’ agents of change opens up important questions regarding how to balance the attainment of legitimacy within the political status quo, and the prospect of a new radical politics for urban transformation.

First Policy, Then Action: A Co-Production Approach to Understand the Application of Urban Climate Knowledge in Land Use Planning

2019 ◽  
Vol 06 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 2050005
Author(s):  
Mariana Barreto Alfonso Fragomeni ◽  
Jennifer L. Rice ◽  
Rosanna G. Rivero ◽  
J. Marshall Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Climate Knowledge ◽  
Heat Response ◽  
The City

Barriers to the application of climate science in land use planning are often understood as a problem related to perceived disciplinary knowledge gaps. This paper argues that, instead, limitations to the application of knowledge are not strictly linked to transference, but are also attributed to the thought processes that planners use to understand and use information. This study uses an interactional co-production framework from Science and Technology Studies (STS) to explore these processes in the context of heat response planning in Chatham County, Georgia, in the United States: a coastal county exposed to hot and humid conditions that render its population, particularly its growing elderly and low-income, vulnerable to heat health risks. We specifically focus on the processes used by planners during a heat response planning workshop, exploring the discussions and actions taken to develop a plan. We attempt to answer the following questions: What are the processes used by planners to respond to climatic issues such as heat vulnerability? How do these processes determine the application of the scientific knowledge produced? How does this process enable or limit the use of climate knowledge in decision making at the city scale? This paper argues that planners engage in three steps to determine the applicability of climate knowledge to urban planning: (1) using their own experiences to contextualize and visualize the information in their community, (2) being extremely cautious about the use of information because of a fear of failure, and (3) asking for specific policies to be in place to justify and legitimate actions and promote projects throughout the city. Using these insights, this paper concludes with some thoughts on how climate knowledge might be better integrated into urban planning.

Sensors and the City: Urban Challenges for Parking Occupancy Detection and Pricing

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (7) ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Soumya S. Dey ◽  
Stephanie Dock ◽  
Alek Pochowski ◽  
Meredyth Sanders ◽  
Benito O. Pérez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Real Time ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Interagency Coordination ◽  
Special Events ◽  
Occupancy Detection ◽  
Time Availability ◽  
The City

Implementing performance parking using demand-driven hourly parking meter rates and real-time occupancy information improves the customer experience and provides more available on-street parking in selected cities across the United States. The implementation of performance parking is not necessarily simple, however, and planners must overcome a host of challenges posed by the urban environment. This paper discusses an approach with the potential to become the state-of-the-practice for developing real-time availability for on-street parking in an urban environment, including how the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., dealt with challenges related to: sensor communication, on-street activity, special events, limited space, broader mobility issues, parking users, coordinating installation, and interagency coordination. Using lessons learned from this project, jurisdictions will be better prepared to deal with their own unique urban challenges, positioning themselves to capture real-time availability and implement performance-based pricing.

Green buildings as sustainability education tools

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura L. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Green Technologies ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leed Certification ◽  
Literature Searches ◽  
At Home

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of green building technologies and practices and illustrate how public libraries can use them as tools to teach their communities about sustainability and foster behavior change.Design/methodology/approachThrough literature searches, case studies analysis, and individual phone and e‐mail interviews, the author identified ways that public libraries can use their buildings to demonstrate green technologies and practices and show their patrons how to apply them at home, at work, and in the community.FindingsEducation is a component of LEED certification. Many LEED certified libraries publicize a list of the green technologies used in their building projects. Some sponsor programs related to the green building and include permanent displays in the library to explain how the technology works. The Fayetteville Public Library went beyond these basic techniques to not only improve the sustainability of their operations but also become a community test bed for a renewable energy project.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on how building projects can be used not only to educate the public about green technologies and practices, but also inspire others to begin using similar techniques at home, at work, and in the community.

Addressing the Health Problems After Immigration Faced by the Marshallese in Springdale, Arkansas: Lessons Learned from the City of Vienna

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1309-1316
Author(s):  
Ryo Fujikura ◽  
Mikiyasu Nakayama ◽  
Shanna N. McClain ◽  
Scott Drinkall ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Marshall Islands ◽  
Host Society ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The City

More than 10,000 people have migrated from the Republic of the Marshall Islands to Springdale, Arkansas in the United States. That number is increasing. The Marshallese living in Springdale are not effectively integrated into the host society. Many Marshallese are mentally stressed not only in their home country, but in Springdale as well. This problem will be alleviated if those in Springdale are well-integrated into the host society. The city of Vienna, Austria, has a history of accepting large numbers of immigrants. In this study, we analyzed the experience of integration in the city of Vienna and examined ways in which this can be applied to the situation in Springdale. Many Marshallese make few preparations for migration to the United States; this becomes an obstacle when they start residing there. Vienna Start Coaching, implemented by the City of Vienna, is a mechanism providing the information that is needed by foreigners when they arrive at the city. The city of Vienna has many therapists to provide mental health care for immigrants and citizens. This is to ensure the possibility of having people who can listen to them in their native language. Moreover, the city offers German language courses to immigrants. Provision of more English language education could facilitate their integration with the host community.

scholarly journals Exploring a Big Data Approach to Building a List Frame for Urban Agriculture: A Pilot Study in the City of Baltimore

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda J. Young ◽  
Michael Hyman ◽  
Barbara R. Rater
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
United States Department ◽  
The City

Abstract The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has the responsibility of quantifying the nation’s agricultural production. Historically, it has focused on large production agriculture. With interest and activity increasing in urban areas, NASS has begun exploring how to better quantify urban agriculture. This segment of agriculture is particularly challenging to enumerate because the agricultural holdings tend to be small, diverse, widely dispersed, and more transient than the predominantly large farms in rural areas. In collaboration with the Multi-Agency Collaboration Environment (MACE), a new approach to list building was explored in a pilot study conducted in the City of Baltimore, Maryland. Using a big data approach, areas of potential agricultural activity were identified by gathering information (state and local permits, Facebook and twitter feeds, interest groups, etc.) via the web. A sample was drawn from the list, and an in-person survey was conducted to assess whether or not the identified areas had agricultural activity. The results of the pilot study are presented. Lessons learned from the study and next steps are discussed.

Death in the City

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A. Sloan
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Violent Death ◽  
Special Relationship ◽  
Intimate Friend ◽  
Counter Narrative ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
European Heritage ◽  
The City ◽  
The Temple

Popular culture has long conflated Mexico with the macabre. Some persuasive intellectuals argue that Mexicans have a special relationship with death, formed in the crucible of their hybrid Aztec-European heritage. Death is their intimate friend; death is mocked and accepted with irony and fatalistic abandon. The commonplace nature of death desensitizes Mexicans to suffering. Death, simply put, defines Mexico. There must have been historical actors who looked away from human misery, but to essentialize a diverse group of people as possessing a unique death cult delights those who want to see the exotic in Mexico or distinguish that society from its peers. Examining tragic and untimely death—namely self-annihilation—reveals a counter narrative. What could be more chilling than suicide, especially the violent death of the young? What desperation or madness pushed the victim to raise the gun to the temple or slip the noose around the neck? A close examination of a wide range of twentieth-century historical documents proves that Mexicans did not accept death with a cavalier chuckle nor develop a unique death cult, for that matter. Quite the reverse, Mexicans behaved just as their contemporaries did in Austria, France, England, and the United States. They devoted scientific inquiry to the malady and mourned the loss of each life to suicide.

Bringing the Real World of Science to Children: A Partnership of the American Museum of Natural History and the City University of New York

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony G Picciano ◽  
Robert V. Steiner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Development Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Museum ◽  
The World ◽  
The City

Every child has a right to an education. In the United States, the issue is not necessarily about access to a school but access to a quality education. With strict compulsory education laws, more than 50 million students enrolled in primary and secondary schools, and billions of dollars spent annually on public and private education, American children surely have access to buildings and classrooms. However, because of a complex and competitive system of shared policymaking among national, state, and local governments, not all schools are created equal nor are equal education opportunities available for the poor, minorities, and underprivileged. One manifestation of this inequity is the lack of qualified teachers in many urban and rural schools to teach certain subjects such as science, mathematics, and technology. The purpose of this article is to describe a partnership model between two major institutions (The American Museum of Natural History and The City University of New York) and the program designed to improve the way teachers are trained and children are taught and introduced to the world of science. These two institutions have partnered on various projects over the years to expand educational opportunity especially in the teaching of science. One of the more successful projects is Seminars on Science (SoS), an online teacher education and professional development program, that connects teachers across the United States and around the world to cutting-edge research and provides them with powerful classroom resources. This article provides the institutional perspectives, the challenges and the strategies that fostered this partnership.

Characteristics of Physician Relocation Following Hurricane Katrina

2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Kusuma Madamala ◽  
Claudia R. Campbell ◽  
Edbert B. Hsu ◽  
Yu-Hsiang Hsieh ◽  
James James
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Introduction: On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States, resulting in the evacuation of more than 1.5 million people, including nearly 6000 physicians. This article examines the relocation patterns of physicians following the storm, determines the impact that the disaster had on their lives and practices, and identifies lessons learned. Methods: An Internet-based survey was conducted among licensed physicians reporting addresses within Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster zones in Louisiana and Mississippi. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe respondent characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with physician nonreturn to original practice. For those remaining relocated out of state, bivariate analysis with x2 or Fisher exact test was used to determine factors associated with plans to return to original practice. Results: A total of 312 eligible responses were collected. Among disaster zone respondents, 85.6 percent lived in Louisiana and 14.4 percent resided in Mississippi before the hurricane struck. By spring 2006, 75.6 percent (n = 236) of the respondents had returned to their original homes, whereas 24.4 percent (n = 76) remained displaced. Factors associated with nonreturn to original employment included family or general medicine practice (OR 0.42, 95 percent CI 0.17–1.04; P = .059) and severe or complete damage to the workplace (OR 0.24, 95 percent CI 0.13–0.42; P < .001). Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of physicians remain displaced after Hurricane Katrina, along with a lasting decrease in the number of physicians serving in the areas affected by the disaster. Programs designed to address identified physician needs in the aftermath of the storm may give confidence to displaced physicians to return.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document