Hyperfunctional Energy Landscapes: Retrofitting Public Space With Renewable Energy Infrastructure
Loading...
Date
2021-06-13
Authors
Grover, Alison
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Between 60% and 80% of global energy is
consumed in urban areas, and this will increase
with urbanization and population growth. We
must meet this new demand sustainably. By
2050, the Green New Deal calls for global
net-zero emissions, and by 2040, Oregon will
require fifty percent of its energy use to be
fueled by renewable energy sources. Scholars
have noted that the US contains enough
developed land to retrofit to meet our renewable
energy goals without using greenfields. Siting
renewable energy infrastructure within the built
environment of cities can help reduce energy
sprawl and transmission losses while creating
an opportunity for social engagement and
education. Making urban space multifunctional
is important because of limited land availability
and competing land uses. With that in mind, this
project poses the question:
How could renewable energy
synergize with social space, green
infrastructure, and sustainable
transportation in urban public space
to create hyperfunctional energy
landscapes?
This project addresses multiple underresearched
aspects of renewable energy
including small-scale energy production,
energy production in the right-of-way (ROW),
and the social functions of energy production.
This project reviews literature on decentralized
energy systems, landscape multifunctionality,
environmental justice, sustainable
transportation, and environmental functions of
the ROW. As a reference, I used an inventory
process to analyze the hyperfunctionality of
winning submissions to Land Art Generator,
an annual design competition with the motto
“Renewable Energy Can Be Beautiful”. The
overall findings of the literature review,
inventory analysis, and projective design
phases include the development of 12 Building
Blocks, 9 Typologies of Urban Public Space,
and 1 Site Design in the Lents Neighborhood
of Portland, Oregon. Using a 7-block segment
as example, the Site Design envisions the
Lents Green Ring, a circuit of streets and
greenways in an underserved neighborhood as
a hyperfunctional energy landscape.
Description
109 pages. Committee chair:Yekang Ko
Keywords
urban design, renewable energy, solar, greenway, sustainable transportation, hyperfunctional, multifunctional