Energy-efficient city planning: The role and importance of actionable regulations: Dissertation

This thesis focuses on energy efficient urban planning and the role of legislation within that context. The objective of this thesis is to analyse if energy efficiency of districts is improved by a regulative approach into planning, if proper tools and guidelines to support the planning are available. The thesis is based on four journal articles and one conference paper. The thesis examines the advantages of a holistic approach in the planning of energy systems both when building new districts as in renovating old ones. It also examines the importance of supportive tools for city planners and planners of energy systems. The results of the analysis show that a holistic approach and supportive tools enable more energy efficient solutions. The key to developing sustainable city plans are for different disciplines to work closely together throughout the whole planning process. Such collaboration might require certain regulative measures to become reality since stakeholders will work towards a common goal that might differ from their individual ones. The energy-efficiency of city plans would benefit from a higher degree of regulation by enabling a push of energy efficient solutions to be realised. Solutions and regulations need to be adapted to local contexts. A regulative approach is beneficial when long term solutions are sought, that doesn't bring short term economic benefits but serve the society well on a longer time perspective. The challenge is to have regulation on a level that both steers the development towards the overall optimised solutions without hindering new innovative solutions to be born. The thesis gives concrete recommendations for how to improve the regulations in the city planning process to enable a more energy efficient built environment.