FYI from Chuck. How and why to build "new urbanist" housing. Highlights the Gaslamp Quarter as a model and links to 2 important new reports: "Driving and the Built Environment" and "Removing the Roadblocks" (in California).
“Some people will use Energy Star Portfolio Manager report data because they have to, and others will use it to manage their buildings better,” Ms. Gilmer said.
That’s why the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, next year plans to introduce the Building Energy Quotient, which as Europe-like “A+” to “F” scores for as-designed and in-operation rating systems.
“PG&E has identified retro-commissioning as the biggest step for nonresidential efficiency before the very expensive upgrades to equipment and controls,” Mr. Kamrath said.
The business opportunity offered by such a digital city may not be totally obvious. Consider the management of key infrastructure projects such as waste, water, energy and transport. The drive towards achieving sustainable, yet desirable and economically successful cities has only just begun. In China, for example, whole cities are being planned and constructed. Dongtan eco-city required a city model to test urban strategies for its infrastructure and there are plans in place to connect the city model to a smart metering system to capture valuable energy usage information streams – a digital dashboard for the city. For cities with aging infrastructure and a scarcity of greenfield sites, there is a need to capture what is already built to explore new projects, better maintain existing investments and renew worn-out utilities. A digital city could be a valuable resource for every stage of development, from cradle to grave — or with a sustainable mindset, cradle to cradle.
However, while the engineering and planning may concern us, many times the initial budget and justification comes from cities’ economic development agencies. This is because these agencies usually have the budget to attract new businesses into their cities. Making a digital city is a cost efficient way of marketing, as opposed to creating a couple of cool fly-overs and getting a little airtime on television. People are able to visit the virtual model and it can be brought to life by many different departments to capture and improve planning and construction.
The business opportunity offered by such a digital city may not be totally obvious. Consider the management of key infrastructure projects such as waste, water, energy and transport. The drive towards achieving sustainable, yet desirable and economically successful cities has only just begun. In China, for example, whole cities are being planned and constructed. Dongtan eco-city required a city model to test urban strategies for its infrastructure and there are plans in place to connect the city model to a smart metering system to capture valuable energy usage information streams – a digital dashboard for the city. For cities with aging infrastructure and a scarcity of greenfield sites, there is a need to capture what is already built to explore new projects, better maintain existing investments and renew worn-out utilities. A digital city could be a valuable resource for every stage of development, from cradle to grave — or with a sustainable mindset, cradle to cradle.
However, while the engineering and planning may concern us, many times the initial budget and justification comes from cities’ economic development agencies. This is because these agencies usually have the budget to attract new businesses into their cities. Making a digital city is a cost efficient way of marketing, as opposed to creating a couple of cool fly-overs and getting a little airtime on television. People are able to visit the virtual model and it can be brought to life by many different departments to capture and improve planning and construction.