23: Urban Metabolism Concept and Models

Question 1

URBAN METABOLISM DEFINITION

Answer 1

“The sum total of the technical
and socio-economic processes
occurring in cities related to
inputs of materials, water, and
energy; production of energy, and
elimination of waste”

Question 2

Key Features:

Answer 2

Ø Centrality of energy
Ø Time lags in material digestion
Ø “Lock-in” in urban form

Question 3

HARD INFRASTRUCTURES

Answer 3

Hard standardized interworked technical
infrastructures: buildings, sewers, water systems,
tracks, roads, electrical and telephone wires.

Question 4

SOFT INFRASTRUCTURES

Answer 4

Soft infrastructures of governance: urban
planning processes and regulations, the science of
accounting and urban finance, the organizational
structures of urban management from sanitation,
parks, roads, building and safety departments to
police departments.

Question 5

Smart Grid

CHANGING ENERGY’S HARD INFRASTRUCTURE

Answer 5

A vision for the future- network of integrated microgrids that can monitor and heal itself.

Everything is connected

Question 6

Renewable Energy

CHANGING ENERGY’S HARD INFRASTRUCTURE

Answer 6

Use batteries, solar panels, and windmills

PROCESSORS: monitor addition and subtraction of energy to the grid to stabilize fluctuations in renewable resources.

Question 7

Energy Storage

CHANGING ENERGY’S HARD INFRASTRUCTURE

Answer 7

Use electric cars to distribute storage for the whole grid, returning power to users as needed

Question 8

Demand side management

CHANGING ENERGY’S SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE

Answer 8

Demand side management

• California Appliance Standards
• California Building Standards (Title 24)
• Smart Metering
• Energy Conservation Financing

Question 9

Intent of Urban metabolism

Answer 9

to measure flow of urban flows through cities over time, then see life span of material and figure out how to make that flow more sustainable.

Question 10

renewable portfolio standards

CHANGING ENERGY’S SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE

Answer 10

A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal.

Question 11

feed-in tariffs

CHANGING ENERGY’S SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE

Answer 11

Anyone producing their own renewable energy can sell energy back to the city

Question 12

GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS: LEED

Answer 12

Ø Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
First developed by US Green Building Council in 1998
Ø Very effective branding at 4 levels: Certified, Silver,
Gold, Platinum
Ø Detailed scoring system for water efficiency, energy
and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor
environment quality etc.
Ø Certified designs and operations by LEED professionals
Ø Many cities have some type of local ordinance (law)
based on LEED.
Ø 7,000 projects in US and 30 countries, including USC’s
Tutor Campus Center

Question 13

LOTS OF SLIDES ON WATER NOT MENTIONED IN REVIEW

Answer 13

JUST SAYIN