District cooling is a system in which chilled water (typically at 4 to 7 degree Celsius) is distributed in pipes (usually underground) from a central cooling plant to several buildings for space cooling and process cooling. By replacing individual cooling systems in each building, the district cooling system can deliver economies of scale in terms of capital, energy and maintenance costs.
This solution is tailored to local governments that have a mandate to approve and enforce municipal building regulations or bylaws that require and/or incentivize the use of SUDS and rain water harvest in private buildings and facilities in the city. It is applicable to new settlements as well as existing residential, commercial and institutional buildings and facilities.
This solution caters to local governments that have the mandate to manage stormwater in a city. It addresses the management of rainfall and runoff from public open spaces and transport infrastructure. The management of runoff from residential, commercial and institutional buildings are covered in a separate Solution as a different approach is required for areas under private ownership.
Local governments invest huge amounts of resources in providing urban transport infrastructure as a measure to combat the effects of rapid motorization and to ensure citizens’ access to work, markets and services. Nearly 75% of cities have direct control over their transit system, and 80% have control over roads [1].
Construction and land development within a built-up area or existing community, including building on vacant or underutilized spots and reuse of old or blighted sites and buildings. Type of urban intensification (see Urban Planning Vocab – NOTE: being developed)
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is urban development that relies on public transport, while maintaining a closely knitted urban fabric through high-density, mixed land use and human-scale design, within walking distance from transit stations. Key features of TOD include: high-quality public spaces which are sensitive to community needs; variety of housing types and prices, frequent reliable, fast and comfortable transit; and measures discouraging the use of private cars, including walkable and cycling-friendly environment, parking management, traffic calming measures promoted through street design and others. TOD can create socially vibrant communities, contribute to economic development and enhance environmental quality. TOD is a key strategy for integrating land use and transportation planning and enabling sustainable urban mobility.
Urban freight and logistics looks at the movement of goods made by light or heavy vehicles, as well as non-motorized transportation modes such as cargo bikes and rickshaws. It can be linked to different market sectors such as retail, waste, construction, road services, hotel, restaurant and catering industry, as well as express courier and post. Globally, transport accounts for 23% of total GHG emissions, of which 40% is contributed by freight transport. Heavy freight vehicles are also one of the world’s major sources of Particulate Matter (PM) emissions, impacting urban life both directly and indirectly.
This Solution provides guidance on the integration of renewable energy (RE) sources into district energy. It can be of interest to both established and growing cities. For new district energy systems (DES), cities should explore opportunities to integrate local RE sources from the early planning stages. For pre-existing systems, the integration of renewables can be coordinated with system expansion and/or the retrofitting plans for the network as well as energy production. Decentralized production using multiple RE sources and technologies can offer several benefits as well.
This Solution is tailored to Local Governments who have ownership and/or regulatory authority over the municipal water supply system. In this Solution, the Local Government takes a comprehensive approach to increase its energy-efficiency throughout the different phases of the system`s project and useful life, from policy setting, planning, project design, and project evaluation to operation, maintenance and monitoring.
District energy systems (DES) deliver heating or cooling to customers through a pipe network filled with hot or cold water, circulated by pumps. As the character of the built environment greatly determines project feasibility, consideration of DES in energy and urban planning processes can significantly contribute to achieving the heat load density necessary to ensure network cost effectiveness. Urban planning can also mitigate load uncertainty for DES by enabling phased development that balances generation and demand.
Over 80% of Local Governments (LGs) worldwide are responsible for residential solid waste collection within their territory [1]. However, solid waste management is a great challenge from an organizational, technical, and financial perspective, and municipalities are often overburdened by the task. This solution focuses on the processes which the LGs can undertake to promote sustainable waste management in their communities through a long-term approach.