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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/I002162/1
Title Re-Engineering the City 2020-2050: Urban Foresight and Transition Management
Status Completed
Energy Categories Renewable Energy Sources 5%;
Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial) 5%;
Not Energy Related 80%;
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution) 5%;
Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Environmental, social and economic impacts) 5%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Architecture and the Built Environment) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Environmental dimensions) 10%;
Not Cross-cutting 80%;
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Other sociological economical and environmental impact of energy) 10%;
Principal Investigator Professor M (Malcolm ) Eames
No email address given
Architecture
Cardiff University
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 October 2010
End Date 30 September 2014
Duration 48 months
Total Grant Value £2,189,964
Industrial Sectors Construction; Energy; Environment; Transport Systems and Vehicles; Water
Region Wales
Programme Energy : Engineering
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Professor M (Malcolm ) Eames , Architecture, Cardiff University (99.992%)
  Other Investigator Professor TJ (Tim ) Dixon , Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading (0.001%)
Professor C Tweed , Architecture, Cardiff University (0.001%)
Professor PM Guthrie , Engineering, University of Cambridge (0.001%)
Professor R Ogden , Sch of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University (0.001%)
Professor G Butina Watson , Sch of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University (0.001%)
Professor S (Simon ) Marvin , Geography, Durham University (0.001%)
Professor T May , Sch of the Built Environment, University of Salford (0.001%)
Dr M Hodson , Sch of the Built Environment, University of Salford (0.001%)
  Recognised Researcher Dr HJ (Heather ) Cruickshank , Engineering, University of Cambridge (0.000%)
  Industrial Collaborator Project Contact , Building Research Establishment (BRE) Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , RICS Foundation (0.000%)
Project Contact , Ove Arup & Partners Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , CABE - the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (0.000%)
Project Contact , Cardiff Council (0.000%)
Project Contact , The Core Cities group (0.000%)
Project Contact , Welsh Assembly Government (0.000%)
Project Contact , Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) (0.000%)
Project Contact , Neath Port Talbot County Council (0.000%)
Project Contact , Tata Group UK (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract The critical challenge for contemporary urbanism is how cities develop the knowledge and capability to systemically reengineer their built environment and urban infrastructure in response to climate change and resource constraints. In the UK and elsewhere cities are increasingly confronted with, or have voluntarily adopted, challenging targets for increasing renewable and decentralised energy, carbon reduction, water savings, and waste reduction. Looking forward to 2020 and beyond to 2050, as current policy drivers and initiatives begin to bite, we need to envisage a systemic transition in our existing built environment, not just to zero carbon but across the entire ecological footprint of our cities and the regions within which they are embedded, whilst simultaneously promoting economic security, social health and resilience. Responding to this challenge in a purposive and managed way requires cities to bring together two strongly disconnected issues: "what" is to be done to the city (technical knowledge, targets, technological options, costs, etc) and "how" will it be implemented (institutions, publics, governance). We start from the perspective that the processes of urbanisation which underpin the development of cities are complex, and that urban environments can best be understood as complex socio-technical systems. Cities become 'locked in' to particular patterns of energy and resource use - constrained by existing infrastructural investments, sunk costs, institutional rigidities and vested interests. Understanding how to better re-engineer our cities and urban infrastructure, to overcome 'lock in' and facilitate systems change, will be critical to achieving sustainability. The core aim of the project is to develop the knowledge and capability to overcome the separation between the "what" and "how" of urban scale retrofitting in order to promote a managed socio-technical transition in built environment and urban infrastructure. The project will comprise a total of 5 Work Packages. Four interlocking Technical Work Packages: i) Urban Transitions Analysis: ii) Urban Foresight Laboratory (2020-2050); iii) Urban Transitions Management; iv) Synthesis, Comparison and Knowledge Exchange, and; v). the Project Management Work Package. The technical component of the research will explore urban scale retrofitting as a managed socio-technical transition, focusing on prospective developments in the built environment - linking buildings, utilities, land use and transport planning - and in so doing we will develop a generic urban transitions framework for wider application. The geographical focus will be on two of the UK's major 'city regions': Cardiff/South East Wales and Greater Manchester. Both areas have a long history of urbanisation and post industrial decline, and are actively seeking manage a purposive transition to sustainability through harnessing processes of master planning, regeneratThe critical challenge for contemporary urbanism is how cities develop the knowledge and capability to systemically reengineer their built environment and urban infrastructure in response to climate change and resource constraints. In the UK and elsewhere cities are increasingly confronted with, or have voluntarily adopted, challenging targets for increasing renewable and decentralised energy, carbon reduction, water savings, and waste reduction. Looking forward to 2020 and beyond to 2050, as current policy drivers and initiatives begin to bite, we need to envisage a systemic transition in our existing built environment, not just to zero carbon but across the entire ecological footprint of our cities and the regions within which they are embedded, whilst simultaneously promoting economic security, social health and resilience. Responding to this challenge in a purposive and managed way requires cities to bring together two strongly disconnected issues: "what" is to be done to the city (technical knowledge, targets, technological options, costs, etc) and "how" will it be implemented (institutions, publics, governance). We start from the perspective that the processes of urbanisation which underpin the development of cities are complex, and that urban environments can best be understood as complex socio-technical systems. Cities become 'locked in' to particular patterns of energy and resource use - constrained by existing infrastructural investments, sunk costs, institutional rigidities and vested interests. Understanding how to better re-engineer our cities and urban infrastructure, to overcome 'lock in' and facilitate systems change, will be critical to achieving sustainability. The core aim of the project is to develop the knowledge and capability to overcome the separation between the "what" and "how" of urban scale retrofitting in order to promote a managed socio-technical transition in built environment and urban infrastructure. The project will comprise a total of 5 Work Packages. Four interlocking Technical Work Packages: i) Urban Transitions Analysis: ii) Urban Foresight Laboratory (2020-2050); iii) Urban Transitions Management; iv) Synthesis, Comparison and Knowledge Exchange, and; v). the Project Management Work Package. The technical component of the research will explore urban scale retrofitting as a managed socio-technical transition, focusing on prospective developments in the built environment - linking buildings, utilities, land use and transport planning - and in so doing we will develop a generic urban transitions framework for wider application. The geographical focus will be on two of the UK's major 'city regions': Cardiff/South East Wales and Greater Manchester. Both areas have a long history of urbanisation and post industrial decline, and are actively seeking manage a purposive transition to sustainability through harnessing processes of master planning, regeneration, and economic development, and driving through significant programmes of retrofitting and infrastructural development, together with institutional and governance innovations, such as the establishment of Low Carbon Zones. The proposal brings together an experienced, interdisciplinary team of leading academic researchers, with commercial and public sector research users. The academic partners comprise: the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA), Cardiff University; Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures (SURF), Salford University; the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD) at Oxford Brookes University; and the University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering, Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD). Commercial collaborators will include Corus and Arup. Regional collaborators will include Cardiff and Neath Port Talbot Borough Councils, WAG and AGMA/Manchester City Region Environment Commission. National dissemination will take place through the Core Cities, CABE, RICS, and the national science advisor of DCLGion, and economic development, and driving through significant programmes of retrofitting and infrastructural development, together with institutional and governance innovations, such as the establishment of Low Carbon Zones. The proposal brings together an experienced, interdisciplinary team of leading academic researchers, with commercial and public sector research users. The academic partners comprise: the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA), Cardiff University; Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures (SURF), Salford University; the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD) at Oxford Brookes University; and the University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering, Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD). Commercial collaborators will include Corus and Arup. Regional collaborators will include Cardiff and Neath Port Talbot Borough Councils, WAG and AGMA/Manchester City Region Environment Commission. National dissemination will take place through the Core Cities, CABE, RICS, and the national science advisor of DCLG
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 03/11/10