City-Level Decoupling-Full Report

City-Level Decoupling: Urban resource flows and the governance of infrastructure transitions

measure energy use and implement efficiency measures.

1997 and 2008, driven by a mandatory requirement for improved energy performance codes, the implementation of energy efficiency measures in public buildings and lighting, and wider public engagement initiatives such as the Postcode 3000 programme that encourages people to move back to the inner city by providing financial incentives, as well as technical and street-level support, the implementation of a house auditing programme, and the CitySwitch Green Office alliance, which works with commercial building tenants. The use of reclaimed water for irrigation purposes and use of extensive mulching to improve water retention has been widely promoted. A free showerhead exchange initiative reduces the amount of water used by the average person by approximately 13,500 litres each year. In Portland, recycling and public awareness campaigns have sought to minimise solid waste flows as has a food-scrap collection programme that transforms food waste into compost to enrich the soil in urban farms and gardens. Standards for household and business recycling collection are currently being developed. By 2010, the city had decreased total wastage by 8% from 2008 figures. Substantial investment has also been made in solar energy options for homes, neighbourhoods and businesses with up-front financing provided for purchasing and installation, as well as incentives for conversion to less carbon intensive energy sources and reduction of energy usage in homes. The city generates five MW of renewable electricity from sunlight, and is in the process of doubling this capacity. A 279 kW solar electric system has been installed at city premises, and reductions in energy consumption have saved around US$3.5 million from the city’s energy bill. To receive 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, the city is promoting solar energy by supporting power purchase agreements and public-private partnerships. San Jose aims to add 25,000 jobs in the clean tech sector by supporting start-up and existing companies through grant support, permit assistance, networking, and offering city land and buildings for demonstration projects. Energy consumption is being reduced by partnering with residents and organisations to

The Transition Towns movement seeks to integrate communities, resource flows and organisation. Local resilience and community is built through a 12-step, tool-oriented process that engages with a range of community interests. Totnes in the United Kingdom is the oldest transition initiative, and has 10 active groups and 32 transition projects underway. These include a Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESOC) that has formed a community- owned company with four energy projects in development: a 4.5 MW wind farm, an aerobic digestion scheme, a biomass boiler, and four potential solar farms with 30-50 kW peak capacity. A Transition Homes Group has set up a trust that aims to provide low-cost housing and neighbourhood infrastructures for water, sanitation and food production, based on ecological principles of metabolic flows. Local, non-toxic materials will be used for construction, and residents will participate in the physical building process, learning useful skills for future developments. The Transition Streets project has so far formed 59 neighbourhood groups of 6-8 households each (50% low-income). These groups are working collectively to implement energy changes (behavioural and technical) to reduce household carbon emissions and energy bills by 2.1 t per year and 600 Great Britain Pounds - £ - per year respectively (US$910 125 ). An interim goal of a 40% reduction by 2030 has been set with emissions being reported on annually. The plan will be evaluated every three years and rewritten every ten. The 2010 annual status report indicates that carbon emissions decreased by 15% between 2000 and 2010, resulting in emission levels that were 1% below 1990 levels, despite a 24% increase in population over that period. The Transition Network has thus far not conducted any formal research on the impact of the programme on local resource use and infrastructure transformations. It is, nevertheless, an interesting example of movement that aims to mobilize citizens directly through vision building coupled to actions that ordinary people can initiate. It consciously avoids making local governments

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