Energy efficient urban development

Ph.D.-project / Juliane Große

The Ph.D.-project focusses on potentials and options to increase energy efficiency at the local level with a special focus on medium-sized European cities. The project is linked to the European Union’s project “PLEEC – Planning for energy efficient cities”. The research is based on case studies and framed by theory on the relationship of urban structure and energy as well as relevant aspects of transition theory.

The project elaborates on three main research questions:
1) What are the current practices of energy related urban planning?
2) Which sustainability trade-offs occur in the context of urban planning and development?
3) How can energy efficiency be integrated in comprehensive urban development processes?

The planning system and national energy policy frame urban energy policy and urban governance processes. Thus, the question which role cities can play in terms of their options and capacities to navigate urban development in a sustainable – energy efficient – direction will be examined and furthermore, how cities can contribute to the achievement of the European Union’s 20-20-20 targets.

Project period: March 2014 – March 2017
Researcher: Juliane Große, Ph.D. student
Supervisors: Niels Boje Groth and Christian Fertner
Research institution: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen

For further information, please contact: Christian Fertner, chfe@ign.ku.dk