Carbon-Based Urbanism

When we completed our research project titled 'Carbon-Based Design' in 2020, we were left with more questions than answers. That study had focused on means to draw down the embodied carbon of buildings, and had explored improved materials, changes to construction processes, improvements in design and incorporation of modern insulation and other technology. But we're urbanists as well as architects, and one statistic stood out. In the built environment, buildings themselves account for only 3% of total emissions. So what about the other 97%?

And so Carbon-Based Urbanism was born. This research begins by recognizing the building as embedded within its neighborhood, and its residents' lives as guided and shaped by the form of the city and its planning. Together with our partners at the Gemeente Rotterdam and PosadMaxwan, we set out to explore what truly Paris-proof urban planning might look like in practice. The project, which runs from 2024 until 2025, will culminate in the publication of a report whose findings will provide valuable insights for urban planners, architects and citizens alike.

The project explores the city through the lens of four key typologies–high-rise, urban block, garden city, and sprawl–and asks the true carbon cost of each. Crucially, in its measurement of emissions the CBU approach considers more than just buildings. By recognizing the impact of public space, user emissions, maintenance and other key areas, it provides an integrated understanding of the city as more than just the sum of its buildings. And, by expanding our measurements to include the choices of residents, we can understand more about how the city shapes the lives of its citizens.

We measure everything from energy consumption to mobility, and sewage to holiday preferences. The resulting data allows us to propose improvements to urban developments that help municipalities and developers to create attractive and welcoming communities whilst also achieving substantial reductions in overall emissions. Our research also identifies sustainable choices that improve the lives of residents and ensures that they're included in the decision-making process from the earliest stages of development.

Our project partners are PosadMaxwan, Municipality of Rotterdam, TU Delft , Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, DGBC, ERA Contour and Synchroon.

This project was made possible by the generous support of TBI, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the Municipality of Rotterdam