191R_Decision-making approach to urban energy retrofit – A comprehensive review (research summary)

Are you interested in what is needed for decision-making regarding urban energy retrofit?

Summary of the article titled Decision-making approach to urban energy retrofit – A comprehensive review from 2023 by Lei Shu and Dong Zhao, published in the Buildings journal.

This is a great preparation for our next interviewee, Alison Scotland in episode 192 talking about policy-making for better urban futures, like energy retrofit.

Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how to find more effective, sustainable and efficient solutions for urban energy retrofits. This article establishes 5 key categories of approaches to retrofit decision-making: simulation, optimization, assessment, system integration, and empirical study, highlighting the progress and future potential in this field.

As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects:

Urban areas face a significant challenge with increasing energy demands, necessitating the transformation of urban buildings into energy-efficient structures due to environmental concerns.
Retrofit projects in urban settings are complex, requiring a balanced consideration of technological advancements, economic factors, and societal impacts, and involve diverse decision-making strategies like simulation, optimization, and empirical studies.
Looking ahead, there is a strong emphasis on adopting holistic and interconnected approaches in urban retrofitting, integrating various decision-making methods, and involving stakeholders to drive sustainable and efficient urban development.

Find the article through this link.

Abstract: This research presents a comprehensive review of the research on smart urban energy retrofit decision-making. Based on the analysis of 91 journal articles over the past decade, the study identifies and discusses five key categories of approaches to retrofit decision-making, including simulation, optimization, assessment, system integration, and empirical study. While substantial advancements have been made in this field, opportunities for further growth remain. Findings suggest directions for future research and underscore the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, data-driven evaluation methodologies, stakeholder engagement, system integration, and robust and adaptable retrofit solutions in the field of urban energy retrofitting. This review provides valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in advancing the state of the art in this critical area of research to facilitate more effective, sustainable, and efficient solutions for urban energy retrofits.

Connecting episodes you might be interested in:

No.120 - Interview with Matt Ferrell about renewable energy solutions;
No.182 - Interview with Ted Baillieu about urban retrofit;
No.196 - Interview with Alan Pears about energy emissions in cities;

You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠are also available.

I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.

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