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Development of Low-Carbon Urban Forms—Concepts, Tools and Scenario Analysis

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Decarbonising the Built Environment

Abstract

A major challenge with ‘decarbonising’ urban development is how life-cycle carbon signatures of different urban forms can be methodically defined, quantitatively assessed, and effectively employed for low-carbon living. This chapter presents two CRC tools which interrogate the whole-of-life carbon emissions of all built forms, distributed energy technologies and key activities in precincts and cities. The multidimensional and multi-scale assessment capability of the carbon assessment tools can provide urban designers and policymakers with an understanding of where embodied and operational carbon emissions reside. The tools can help to map out full carbon profiles, to identify carbon ‘hot-spots’, and to analyse different morphological scenarios and potential pathways towards ‘zero carbon’ precinct outcomes in the long term.

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Correspondence to Ke Xing .

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Xing, K., Wiedmann, T., Newton, P., Huang, B., Pullen, S. (2019). Development of Low-Carbon Urban Forms—Concepts, Tools and Scenario Analysis. In: Newton, P., Prasad, D., Sproul, A., White, S. (eds) Decarbonising the Built Environment. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7940-6_12

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