Nudging the city; Earth hour city challenge and the urban footprint reduction project

Fouad Khan

166 cities

17 countries

Data from cities

Earth Hour City

Challenge

Data analysis and research

Leverage points

identification

-28%

-28%

-20%

-23%

-1%

Percentage "reductions" in emissions by sector (6 US cities -Baltimore, Boulder, Burlington, Portland, Santa Monia, Seattle)

buildings residential

buildings commercial

industrial

transport

waste

Desert Tropics Tundra etc. Geographic Typologies -based on stock of renewable resources

social

economic

natural

Phase change 1 Phase change 2 Phase change 3

objectives

• To identify key actions for global urban footprint reduction (measured in terms of carbon emissions) for different types of cities

• To identify the ideal indicator framework for measuring and monitoring implementation of low footprint solutions in different types of cities and develop a system for selecting indicator frameworks given urban typology

• To identify key ‘soft’ drivers of change in cities which may not be captured through indicators or monitoring frameworks

outcomes

• Typology of cities based on renewable and consumable stocks (natural, social and economic)

• High leverage actions to implement low footprint solutions for different city types

• ‘Soft’ drivers of change and urban typologies in which they are relevant

• Decision support system for identifying indicator framework measuring and monitoring low footprint development in different urban typologies

outputs

• Peer reviewed publication about high leverage points to implement low footprint solutions in cities employing analysis of Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) data

• Peer reviewed publication about ‘soft’ drivers of change in cities which differentiate results for cities in same urban typology (given natural, economic and social stocks)

• WWF Knowledge product about urban typologies and transition pathways in different city types

• WWF Knowledge product about indicator frameworks for low footprint development in cities

Urban classification

F Energy mix

Food sourcing

Water sourcing

Linear technological development scenario

the demands are to be met only by existing technology limited to wind, hydro and solar

Integrated technologies scenario

the solutions scape shall be expanded to include energy reduction options, locally relevant technologies (for given city types) and other viable technologies besides wind, solar and hydro

Breakthrough scenario

urban living in the Anthropocene shall be imagined for breakthrough developments in biological sciences and engineering, nano-technology, material and energy technologies to envision city life in the long term future.

Localization of governance

Power distribution

Autonomy in decision making

Localization

• national

• provincial

• city

Autonomy

• Involved populace and governance

• Involved populace, media and governance

• High literacy rates, involved populace, media and governance

Power

• Centralized

• Decentralized

• Bottle-necked (bureaucratized)

Current city type C

Transition pathway

Final city type F

sectors

Soft drivers of

change

Thanks