Menzies, B; Emmanuel, R; Thomson, C and Walton, J (2010) Creating the conditions that facilitate the development of equitable, low carbon communities in Scotland. In: Egbu, C (ed.) Proceedings of 26th Annual ARCOM Conference, 6-8 September 2010, Leeds, UK.
Abstract
Increasingly, 'Sustainable Communities' are defined in terms of being low carbon and as vehicles for delivering well-being and equity for users and residents. However, a focus on 'low-carbon' alone could result in limited focus being given to current inequities (i.e. those who are given less) and potentially exacerbate the issues. In this paper we present the results of comparison with two Scandinavian case studies (Denmark and Finland) to draw lessons for the UK in general and Scotland in particular, in terms of specific low carbon 'community approaches' to providing heat. Presented are the fundamental drivers, issues and constraints associated with providing community level heat via decentralized District Heating Networks (DHNs) as a key element of equitable, low carbon communities. The approaches adopted in a number of European countries have delivered tangible outcomes, but what has proven to be a successful route in one country may not be the case in another. The development of heating systems has many implications, in terms of the density of design required, and the impacts on fuel poverty and winter mortality. Stakeholders have an opportunity to consider a range of innovative policy, planning and public private partnership approaches from across Europe to guide future decision-making processes.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | low carbon communities; district heating; combined heat and power |
| Index terms: | winter, low carbon, case study, Finland, district heating, fuel poverty, density, decision-making process, Europe, public private partnership, well-being, Denmark, heating system, mortality, sustainable community, Scotland |
| Subjects: | communities and social development, analytical methods, health monitoring assessment and metrics, energy systems, contractual arrangements, physical geography and landforms, climate science, sustainability assessment, mental health and wellbeing, Geography, decision analysis, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Geographical Context, Urban Studies, Stakeholder Management, Procurement, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Risk Management, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here