Urban Energy and Carbon Modeling in a Rapidly Urbanizing World

• Bringing together different groups working on aspects of this interlinked topic;
• Taking stock of research, discuss modeling approaches, advances and prevailing challenges;
• Stimulate ideas, showcase ongoing works and methods and create a snow-ball effect.

Opening Session

Chairs: Prof. Arnulf Grubler (IIASA) and Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal (GCP)

• Welcome from the organizers, workshop introduction, brief introduction of GCP and IIASA and urban energy/carbon activities
  • Prof. Arnulf Grubler, International Institute for Applied System Analysis
  • Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal, Global Carbon Project and National Institute for Environmental Studies
• Brief message and introduction by PIK, NIES and GEA
  • Dr. Helga Weisz, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
  • Dr. Yoshiki Yamagata, Global Carbon Project and National Institute for Environmental Studies
• Tour de table

Session 1. Urbanization and its interactions in urban energy and carbon context

Chair: Prof. Arnulf Grubler (IIASA)

The aims of this session were to discuss, understand and characterize the inter-linkages of urbanization and energy/carbon from key perspectives such as demographics, land use or spatial, and others at multiple scales (global, national, and city). The session comprised overarching talks aimed at taking stock of research, research approaches and methodologies and raising key issues to be followed-up by related talks and discussions involving the key invited scholars.

• Chair’s comment
• Dr. Thomas Buettner (UN Population Division ) - Global urbanization dynamics
• Dr. Brian O'Neill (National Centre for Atmospheric Research/IIASA) - Urbanization, energy use and carbon emissions
• Dr. Yoshiki Yamagata (National Institute for Environmental Studies Japan) – Review of recent approaches in urban extent and urban land use–transportation modeling with emphasis on land use-energy-CO2 scenario in Tokyo
• Dr. Niels Schulz (International Institute for Applied Systems Analyses) - Energy accounts of cities
• Discussions

Session 2. Understanding system boundaries in urban energy and carbon context

Chair: Dr. Helga Weisz (PIK)

The aims of this session were to discuss and understand the appropriate and multiple system boundaries in the context of urban energy and carbon, taking into account that the indirect flow overwhelms the urban system flow. The urban system is a complex open system. This session discussed the prevailing methods and approaches to address system boundaries and the challenges and opportunities in doing so. The session comprised of three overarching talks aimed at taking stock and raising key issues followed by discussions involving the key invited scholars.

• Chair’s comment
• Dr. Helga Weisz (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) – City walls and urban hinterlands: the importance of system boundaries for measuring urban energy use
• Prof. Anu Ramaswami (University of Colorado Denver) – Trans-boundary Carbon Emission Footprints and A Framework for Sustainable Cities
• Dr. Jan Minx (Technical University Berlin) – Attributing global carbon releases to local consumption activities: method and applications
• Prof. Shinji Kaneko (Hiroshima University) – Case Study of Tokyo with I-O analysis
• Dr. Peter-Paul Pichler (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) - Long-term Stocks and Flows Dynamic of Urban Buildings
• Discussions

Session 3. Urban energy/carbon modeling and scenario

Chair: Shobhakar Dhakal (GCP)

The aims of this session were to present and discuss prevailing modeling and scenarios approaches for urban energy use and GHG emissions and the key lessons for future evolution needs, challenges and opportunities. The session comprised of three overarching talks aimed at taking stock and raising key issues followed by discussions involving the key invited scholars.

• Dr. James Keirstead (Imperial College London) – Approaches, challenges and opportunities in urban energy system modeling
• Prof. Ram Manohar Shrestha (Asian Institute of Technology) – Optimization based Urban Energy and Carbon Modeling: Issues and Challenges in Developing Countries
• Dr. Henri Waisman (Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement - CIRED) – Urbanization and low-carbon growth pathways: Modeling the interactions between energy and real estate prices
• Dr. Kei Gomi (Kyoto University) – Back-casting approach and modeling for low-carbon city scenarios
• Dr. Mikiko Kainuma (National Institute for Environmental Studies Japan)- Lessons for city energy/carbon and scenario modeling from Integrated Assessment Models
• Mr. Mark Jennings (Imperial College London)- Optimising retrofits of urban energy systems
• Discussions

Closing Session. Summary, ways forward and closing

Chairs: Shobhakar Dhakal (GCP) and Arnulf Grubler (IIASA)

• Shobhakar Dhakal
• Arnulf Grubler