The Sustainability Studies curricular theme and Department of Geography present “Urban Energy Metabolism: Causes, Consequences and Solutions for Hungry Cities,” on Friday, April 10, at noon in Baker Center 231.
Dr. Austin Troy
The speaker is Dr. Austin Troy, Associate Professor of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado, Denver.
This event is free and open to the public.
Abstract: With growing unpredictability and volatility in energy prices, cities are increasingly concerned about their energy footprint and how it may affect their economic competitiveness in the long-term. While the characteristics that make for an efficient building are well-known, the same cannot be said of cities, since such a dizzying array of factors go into determining a city’s “energy metabolism,” but a growing field is attempting to tackle this challenging characterization. This talk, based on Troy’s book, The Very Hungry City (Yale Press 2012), first explores some of the major reasons why energy metabolisms differs from city to city, such as behavior, climate, water supply, building quality, transportation. It then looks at some of the most promising approaches to curbing energy metabolism at the urban scale, such as green building technology, energy-efficient neighborhood design, symbiotic infrastructure, congestion pricing, transit-oriented development, and water conservation. To tell this story the talk draws on anecdotes from over a dozen cities and suburbs in Europe and the United States.
This event is sponsored by the Ohio University Department of Geography and the Sustainability Studies theme.
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