SNAP Presentation A. Van Hal & E. McAteer

Collaboration for Neighbourhood Sustainability At Home and Abroad

Anke Van Hal Eleanor McAteer

Sustainable Neighbourhoods • 80% of what we have we will still have • Older buildings have lower performance • Improving what we have is fundamental to sustainability • If its been done somewhere it can be done everywhere

Dutch examples Upscaling

before after (energy neutral in 10 days)

Dutch examples Energy efficient safety

LED lighting that response on attendance , like Dune in Rotterdam and lighting of the smart high way of Heijmans www.studioroosegaarde.net

Dutch examples Attractive bike lanes

HovenRing in Eindhoven by PV Delft

Dutch examples Attractive pedestrian routes

Digital city wall of Philips (Veghel)

Spanish example Sustainable meeting point

Air tree paviljoen in Madrid by Urban ecosystems http://inhabitat.com/stunning-air-trees-only-byproducts-

/

are-h2o-energy

Austrian example Attractive solar lighting

Solar trees in Vienna http://inhabitat.com/ross-lovegrove-solartrees-take-to-the-streets-of-vienna/

Swedish, US and Belgium examples Moving promoting solutions

Power leap concept tiles in the US, piano stairs in Stckholm (youtube) , charging by cycling in Brussels

International Collaboration Key to Success

Virtual Parallel52/CISCO sessions

Participants • Over 100 in 4 video conferences and two workshops in Toronto • Share experiences, observations and hopes and dreams for the future

Session 1 Upscaling Enough research has been done to demonstrate technical feasibility and societal benefits of retrofitting the existing housing stock; it is now time to focus on scaling up.

February 12, 2014

Virtual Parallel52/CISCO sessions

Toronto Green Standard

Benchmark Mandatory Building Labelling

Session 2 Reducing Plug Load Great strides have been made in designing energy efficient building components. The emerging challenge is plug load. We need to encourage sustainable choices in uses of devices and appliances.

March 19, 2014

Virtual Parallel52/CISCO sessions

Reducing Plug Load Canadian examples

Reducing Plug Load Dutch example

Virtual Parallel52/CISCO sessions

http://repository.tudelft.nl/view/ir/uuid:605b4 349-0f57-4d48-8bd4-3dac1dd50e49/

Session 3 A Neighbourhood Approach Environmental sustainability initiatives will benefit from a more holistic approach that includes broader societal outcomes.

April 9, 2014

Virtual Parallel52/CISCO sessions

A Neighbourhood Approach Canadian examples Regent Park

TRCA ERA Architects Tower Renewal

A Neighbourhood Approach A Dutch example

“Rooted living” Rijswijk

The Best 10 Things We Learned and discussed also, June 2014, in Toronto

Overall, We have lots in common, we are more alike than we are different A community of interest beyond our local jurisdictions can strengthen the case for programs and projects

10

We need to be better at showing off our successes.

There are lots of projects but there is not enough replication

Now House

ETFO

Ecolonia, arch.umanitoba.ca

9

Energy cost alone isn't a big enough motivator for change • People largely adapt to higher energy prices • There is some impact but pricing alone will not be the biggest factor in achieving change , for instance time of use rates have limited impact on energy use • Prices can only be raised so high before there are broad economic impacts that will not be supported politically

8 --

What gets measured gets managed but we have a hard time measuring the holistic impact of sustainability Things like economic impact of sustainable measures (local employment) can be an important driver but it rarely gets fully factored into policy decisions • Relationships between cause and effect are too tenuous for business case development • Easy to grasp concepts like “Energy Dependence Day” communicate well •

7

Health impacts get attention • People really care about their health and the health of their children • It is a strong potential motivator that can also have overall sustainability outcomes

Health Canadian/Dutch Examples

6

Get better uptake by offering a standardized core product and allow some custom finishes • Prototypes can be expensive, need to be able to offer a very cost effective approach so need to mass produce solutions.

• But people also need to have self expression.

• Need to strike a balance

Standardized Core Products Canadian/Dutch Examples

5

Smart regulations can be key to success • Canada: Ontario Building Code, Toronto Green Standard, New York benchmarking • The Netherlands: BREEAM, GPR, energy labelling

European obligation energy labelling of dwellings

4

Get commitment through recognition Awards, public recognition, can be effective in getting interest and commitment that a business case alone cannot achieve

The Dutch Sustainable Building Awards

3 Make doing good easy •Passive works best, ‘set it and leave it’ •Fit within existing systems, such as preapproved service providers

GWL-area Amsterdam www.gwlterrein.info

2

Climate change talk is a turn off •Need to place focus on the solution not the problem •Make solutions positive, relatable at an individual person level

1

Smart technology can be a game changer

Technology can change how we carry out everyday activities, adding up to big improvements

Conclusions • Initiatives such as SNAP are part of a blossoming movement • Increasing recognition that retrofit is imperative • Understanding that it is possible • No time to waste • Sharing experiences will accelerate achievements

Thank you!

Prof. J.D.M. (Anke) van Hal MSc PhD a.vanhal@nyenrode.nl Eleanor McAteer emcatee@toronto.ca

www.parallel52.org