Cities present a dilemma.  They provide a necessary social, cultural and economic focus.  Conversely, the concentration of population and activities exerts environmental stresses that need to be addressed.

In all regions of the world, response to changing economic circumstances is causing some urban areas to retrench whilst others grow.  CAR offers consultancy at the urban scale to manage these impacts in fast-changing circumstances.  Our especial concern is with minimizing the climate-change impact of emissions from urban areas, and that means minimizing the use of energy from the combustion of fossil fuel.  Two sectors are important here: the role of energy use in buildings, and in transport.

Buildings use energy heating, lighting, cooling and mechanical ventilation.  The climatic location of a building and its usage (residential or commercial, for instance) determine the relative importance of these energy-consuming activities.  Within a given situation, differences in urban built form can also have a considerable impact on energy use.  

The second aspect of carbon utilization in cities is energy use for transportation. There are several components to this issue: distance travelled, and how frequently; modal split; and energy usage by the differing modes.  A mix of uses – including commercial, retail and leisure alongside homes – could help to keep travel distances short and encourage pedestrian and cycle trips.  

CAR’s key aim in providing environmental consultancy at the city scale is to ensure that development absorbs more CO2 than it emits: minimising emission can be achieved by energy efficient building and transport design, and the use of renewable energy sources.  Ultimately the goal is to achieve high quality design which embraces both local and global environmental issues.

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