SimCity…For Real: Land Use, Energy Demand, and the Next Generation of Modeling Tools

摘要

Land use – where and how people and jobs are located, and the transport systems thatrnlink us together – is a critical in addressing energy, resource, and climate challenges. The openrnsource UrbanFootprint model was developed in the wake of the 2006 passage of California’s ABrn32 as state and local governments grappled with how to measure the impacts of land use onrnclimate change emissions. UrbanFootprint combines powerful capabilities for compiling andrnnormalizing data with tools for creating land use and transportation scenarios, allowing users tornmeasure transport and building energy, emissions, and costs of land use plans and policies. Itrnalso includes a suite of public health, fiscal impacts, land conservation, water, and other analysisrnengines to inform decision-makers and the public about the impacts of land use and relatedrninvestment decisions.rnUse of UrbanFootprint by state and regional agencies is changing how plans are madernand adopted. The California Energy Commission will use UrbanFootprint to evaluate current andrnproposed building standards and policies in combination with land use policies. Three ofrnCalifornia’s largest regional agencies are transitioning to UrbanFootprint as their scenario andrnland use planning platform. UrbanFootprint is the foundation for a movement towards morerninformed land and transportation planning that addresses energy, climate, public health, andrnfiscal challenges.rnThis paper reviews methods used to estimate building energy impacts in UrbanFootprint,rnits application in the context of land planning in California, and how its framework can bernadvanced to connect land use and energy planning into the future.