The personal mobility and the building sector together account for more than 80% of urban energy consumption in many cities. Intelligent urban planning and integrated energy systems have the potential to lower urban energy use and resulting emissions, for example by increasing density in targeted areas, fostering mix-used zoning, and managing the integration of electric mobility and distributed energy resources. Urban form therefore can affect city energy consumption both directly and indirectly: on the one hand, land use and zoning patterns can influence mobility patterns as well as typical building properties. On the other hand, they also may affect the interactions between electric vehicles, distributed energy resources, and the grid.

The links between urban form and city energy consumption across the building and mobility sectors are not yet fully understood, and usually studied as part of separate domains. This project aims to answer questions like: Are there trade-offs between the two sectors and can we avoid them? What is the impact of changes in urban form on energy consumption across different scales, from the block to the city? What do these findings mean for ‘ideal’ urban design patterns? How do things change with an increase of vehicle electrification and autonomous or shared mobility?

​

Team Member(s): Dr. Marco Miotti

​

Partner(s): Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE)

​

Funder(s): Center for Integrated Facility Engineering