The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities

As global demand for energy grows and prices rise, a city's energy consumption becomes increasingly tied to its economic viability, warns the author of The Very Hungry City. Austin Troy, a seasoned expert in urban environmental management, explains for general readers how a city with a high "urban energy metabolism"—that is, a city that needs large amounts of energy in order to function—will be at a competitive disadvantage in the future. He explores why cities have different energy metabolisms and discusses an array of innovative approaches to the problems of expensive energy consumption.

Troy looks at dozens of cities and suburbs in Europe and the United States—from Los Angeles to Copenhagen, Denver to the Swedish urban redevelopment project Hammarby Sjöstad—to understand the diverse factors that affect their energy use: behavior, climate, water supply, building quality, transportation, and others. He then assesses some of the most imaginative solutions that cities have proposed, among them green building, energy-efficient neighborhoods, symbiotic infrastructure, congestion pricing, transit-oriented development, and water conservation. To conclude, the author addresses planning and policy approaches that can bring about change and transform the best ideas into real solutions.

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The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities

As global demand for energy grows and prices rise, a city's energy consumption becomes increasingly tied to its economic viability, warns the author of The Very Hungry City. Austin Troy, a seasoned expert in urban environmental management, explains for general readers how a city with a high "urban energy metabolism"—that is, a city that needs large amounts of energy in order to function—will be at a competitive disadvantage in the future. He explores why cities have different energy metabolisms and discusses an array of innovative approaches to the problems of expensive energy consumption.

Troy looks at dozens of cities and suburbs in Europe and the United States—from Los Angeles to Copenhagen, Denver to the Swedish urban redevelopment project Hammarby Sjöstad—to understand the diverse factors that affect their energy use: behavior, climate, water supply, building quality, transportation, and others. He then assesses some of the most imaginative solutions that cities have proposed, among them green building, energy-efficient neighborhoods, symbiotic infrastructure, congestion pricing, transit-oriented development, and water conservation. To conclude, the author addresses planning and policy approaches that can bring about change and transform the best ideas into real solutions.

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The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities

The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities

by Austin Troy
The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities

The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities

by Austin Troy

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Overview

As global demand for energy grows and prices rise, a city's energy consumption becomes increasingly tied to its economic viability, warns the author of The Very Hungry City. Austin Troy, a seasoned expert in urban environmental management, explains for general readers how a city with a high "urban energy metabolism"—that is, a city that needs large amounts of energy in order to function—will be at a competitive disadvantage in the future. He explores why cities have different energy metabolisms and discusses an array of innovative approaches to the problems of expensive energy consumption.

Troy looks at dozens of cities and suburbs in Europe and the United States—from Los Angeles to Copenhagen, Denver to the Swedish urban redevelopment project Hammarby Sjöstad—to understand the diverse factors that affect their energy use: behavior, climate, water supply, building quality, transportation, and others. He then assesses some of the most imaginative solutions that cities have proposed, among them green building, energy-efficient neighborhoods, symbiotic infrastructure, congestion pricing, transit-oriented development, and water conservation. To conclude, the author addresses planning and policy approaches that can bring about change and transform the best ideas into real solutions.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300165807
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 01/03/2012
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Austin Troy is associate professor in the Department of Planning and Design, University of Colorado, Denver, and principal and cofounder of Spatial Informatics Group, LLC.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction. Why Urban Energy Metabolism Matters 1

Part 1 Why Cities Are Hungry

Chapter 1 The 68° City 13

Interlude #1 The Big Picture on Rising Energy Prices 32

Chapter 2 The Very Thirsty City 35

Interlude #2 Oil Depletion in the United States 56

Chapter 3 The Very Mobile City 59

Interlude #3 Global Oil Depletion 83

Chapter 4 From Dirt Tracks to Interstates 89

Interlude #4 Tar Sands 115

Chapter 5 Transit Wars 117

Interlude #5 Coal 141

Part 2 Taming the Urban Appetite

Chapter 6 The Building Energy Diet 147

Interlude #6 Natural Gas 176

Chapter 7 Smart Mobility 182

Interlude #7 Biofuels 207

Chapter 8 Reinventing Neighborhoods 210

Interlude #8 Nuclear 239

Chapter 9 The Very Regional City 244

Interlude #9 Renewable Energy Generation 269

Chapter 10 The Very Efficient City 277

Notes 297

Select Bibliography 337

Index 355

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