UC Berkeley’s Center for Resource Efficient Communities (CREC)
recently issued a comprehensive look at the need for dramatic reductions in
carbon emissions and collaborative community planning to achieve the
reductions.
“Building Energy Efficient Communities: A Research Agenda for
California” explores the relationship between community design and energy efficiency,
specifically:
The connection
between transportation and land use
The connection
between street design and transportation
The connection
between the urban heat island effect and cool communities
Solar access
and building energy use
The connection
between community resource use and the management of embedded energy
The paper summarizes the major findings in the research literature
and identifies major research gaps for each of these areas.
CREC argues that dramatic reductions in carbon emissions could be
implemented by reducing transportation energy demand; making major improvements
in the pedestrian and bicycling environments; implementing “cool community” strategies such as
light-colored roofing materials, reflective pavements, and widespread tree
planting; and recognizing the importance of solar access and embedded energy
considerations in land use planning.
The paper points out that significant barriers to resource
efficiency exist in California development codes, planning processes, and
project review processes. Barriers range from physical design standards that
prevent construction of resource effi cient streets and public spaces, to environmental
review processes that focus on immediate local rather than regional impacts.