Notes from the Field:
VERGE DC Conference 2012
John LehnertSustainable Urban Development
Presidio Graduate SchoolApril 22, 2012
Verge DC: Overview
A project of GreenBiz – research, events
Convergence of four key technologies:• Energy• Building• Transportation• Information
All of these are vital for urban sustainabilityRecorded event content available at: http://www.greenbiz.com/microsite/verge
Century of the City
Demographics & Economics:• 50% world population (now) 70% (2050)• Top 100 cities comprise 30% of world GDP• Middle class: 1.8 B (now) 4.8 B (2030)
Upside: larger cities = more efficient / effectiveDownside: look at Nigeria today (NY Times)
Panel discussion: Cities as a Catalyst for Sustainabilityhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/world/africa/in-nigeria-a-preview-of-an-overcrowded-planet.html
Century of the City
“Citystates” - states of cities define how they matter1) Connected2) Decisive3) Adaptive4) Collaborative5) Visceral6) Personal7) Experimental
http://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/SustainAbility_Citystates_March2012_0.pdf
Energy: The New (resilient) Grid
• Utilities: “dinosaurs”
• Micro-utilities: need price info
• Data in real time• Monitoring
(e.g. Opower)
Interview: Jon Wellinghoff, FERCPanel discussion: Liberating Energy Data
Buildings: Energy Efficiency
Built environment is leading user of electricity
Key Trends:• Measure/monitor• More project data• Behavior > tech• People = sensors
http://www.envisioncharlotte.com/ - targeting/tracking/displaying bldg energy use
Panel Discussion: Revolutionizing the Built EnvironmentAccelerating Green Building Market Transformation (Pyke)
http://cm.asu.edu [campus metabolism] – enlisting students to reduce energy use
Transportation: Electric VehiclesEV (autos, motorcycles)Must address access to power
Convergent benefit:Cars as grid powerstorage
Technology:Lighter materials = lower battery-power needsPanel Discussion: Paving the Way for a National Network of EV’sDaniel Kim (Lit Motors)Interview: Amory Lovins – see also “Reinventing Fire”
Information: Big Data
The “Global Brain”• Humans connected/augmented
The Internet of Things• 50 B devices• Using ambient energy
Urban Datasets• London DataStore
Kent Dickson (Tendril)Tim O’Reilly
Information: Tools
AMEE:Carbon footprint of everything
Tendril: Connecting everything
Citystate: Adaptive/Experimental
Technology – Code for America• IT solutions to urban challenges
Technology – City of San Francisco• SFPark
Policy – City of Philadelphia• Differential stormwater billing
Financial – B of A • CDFI funds for energy efficiencyPanel discussion: Cities as a Catalyst for Sustainability; Jennifer Pahlka (Code for America)
Citystate: Collaboration / Competition
City of Philadelphia• Recycling competition (3x increase)• Dow – white roofs ( + heat tracking by NASA)
Sharing/Access Economy• City as a Service• Car Sharing
Lisa Gansky: “The Mesh”
SocialWeb
Prod& Svcs
Mobile
Robin Chase (Zip Car, Buzzcar)
Data Tools Analysis
My view of Convergence…
Transportation BuildingEnergy
Enables
RelationshipsLearning
Innovation
INFORMATION
CITIES