Final Report Summary - SUME (Sustainable urban metabolism for Europe)
Results from the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) project SUME show the impacts of urban form and the long-term impacts of alternative spatial development paths of European metropolises on resource flows such as land and energy consumption until 2050. For the first time the concept of urban metabolism has been used in a spatially explicit way, estimating the impact on resource flows by analysing the current and future spatial distribution of population and jobs, the transport system and urban building technology. Four integrated approaches were applied:
In a long-term scenario approach 2050, alternative urban development perspectives (a trend-type versus a resource-minded development path) have been applied in a consistent way for seven case studies (agglomerations of Vienna, Stockholm, Oporto, Newcastle, Athens, Marseille and Munich), providing land consumption and the spatial distribution of population and workplaces in 2050.
The spatially explicit urban metabolism model allows for systematic simulations of the functional relations between socio-economic developments and their consequences on the urban metabolism. Based on the scenarios' spatial allocation of population and workplaces, the metabolism models' focus is on estimating building- and transport-related energy flows (for four key case study agglomerations: Vienna, Stockholm, Oporto, Newcastle).
Larger development projects can change existing structures and the city system. The Metabolic impact assessment (MIA) is a novel methodology (decision-support tool) to evaluate the effect of proposed urban development projects on the metabolism of a city, in terms of energy and other flows associated with the project (applied in four key cases).
Urban agglomerations' development processes are very complex. Many factors intersect to generate the spatial pattern that we see in the built environment today. Sustainable, resource-oriented urban development policies need to understand the complex interactions of producers (developers) and consumers, where both sides will have to be addressed by integrated urban policy packages. As analysed in the case cities, policies need to be coherent, across policy sectors and municipal boundaries.
The potential effects or resource-oriented urban planning are substantial:
The spatial expansion of the agglomerations analysed can be avoided to a large degree, even in dynamic cities. The fastest growing agglomerations here are Munich, Stockholm and Vienna, where the spatial expansion to 2050 can be greatly reduced by -68 %, -57 % and -75 %, respectively The resource-oriented SUME scenario also has great impact on the potential to provide and use attractive public transport, allowing for a substantial reduction in energy used for motorized transport.
Future resource-oriented urban development policy packages need to consider the following:
- All urban growth and the life-cycle turnover of built structures should be used as potential to improve the existing urban form, both in terms of spatial structures and object qualities. Ongoing relocation and renovation activities have the potential to improve urban form qualities over time, if consistently guided spatially.
- Larger urban development projects can - if located and serviced with infrastructure in a proper way - improve the overall resource performance of a city / agglomeration.
- Building renovation and urban rehabilitation programmes should reach beyond solely improving thermal qualities, but include raising inner-city attractiveness and putting metabolism-relevant technology in place.
In order to follow these strategic recommendations, it will be essential to develop a cross-sectoral approach, integrating urban planning, housing policies, energy policies, infrastructure provision and transport policies. The currently disjunct, sectorial policy approach, however, is presenting the greatest challenge in bringing about sustainable, resource-oriented restructuring of European cities.
In a long-term scenario approach 2050, alternative urban development perspectives (a trend-type versus a resource-minded development path) have been applied in a consistent way for seven case studies (agglomerations of Vienna, Stockholm, Oporto, Newcastle, Athens, Marseille and Munich), providing land consumption and the spatial distribution of population and workplaces in 2050.
The spatially explicit urban metabolism model allows for systematic simulations of the functional relations between socio-economic developments and their consequences on the urban metabolism. Based on the scenarios' spatial allocation of population and workplaces, the metabolism models' focus is on estimating building- and transport-related energy flows (for four key case study agglomerations: Vienna, Stockholm, Oporto, Newcastle).
Larger development projects can change existing structures and the city system. The Metabolic impact assessment (MIA) is a novel methodology (decision-support tool) to evaluate the effect of proposed urban development projects on the metabolism of a city, in terms of energy and other flows associated with the project (applied in four key cases).
Urban agglomerations' development processes are very complex. Many factors intersect to generate the spatial pattern that we see in the built environment today. Sustainable, resource-oriented urban development policies need to understand the complex interactions of producers (developers) and consumers, where both sides will have to be addressed by integrated urban policy packages. As analysed in the case cities, policies need to be coherent, across policy sectors and municipal boundaries.
The potential effects or resource-oriented urban planning are substantial:
The spatial expansion of the agglomerations analysed can be avoided to a large degree, even in dynamic cities. The fastest growing agglomerations here are Munich, Stockholm and Vienna, where the spatial expansion to 2050 can be greatly reduced by -68 %, -57 % and -75 %, respectively The resource-oriented SUME scenario also has great impact on the potential to provide and use attractive public transport, allowing for a substantial reduction in energy used for motorized transport.
Future resource-oriented urban development policy packages need to consider the following:
- All urban growth and the life-cycle turnover of built structures should be used as potential to improve the existing urban form, both in terms of spatial structures and object qualities. Ongoing relocation and renovation activities have the potential to improve urban form qualities over time, if consistently guided spatially.
- Larger urban development projects can - if located and serviced with infrastructure in a proper way - improve the overall resource performance of a city / agglomeration.
- Building renovation and urban rehabilitation programmes should reach beyond solely improving thermal qualities, but include raising inner-city attractiveness and putting metabolism-relevant technology in place.
In order to follow these strategic recommendations, it will be essential to develop a cross-sectoral approach, integrating urban planning, housing policies, energy policies, infrastructure provision and transport policies. The currently disjunct, sectorial policy approach, however, is presenting the greatest challenge in bringing about sustainable, resource-oriented restructuring of European cities.
