Abstract

The urban design process passes through a compromise search among prescriptive, functional and financial constraints that are extremely interactive. The environmental issues are often seen more as constraints than opportunities.

The objective of this research is therefore to develop a Geocoded Information System for sustainable urban development. This system, christened ZEIS for Zero Emission Information System, offers environmental opportunities to urban planers like:

• the integration of urban design through bridges between urban planning and environmental engineering, using simplified evaluation tools, and referential approaches of the urban design process,

• the co-operation between various different computer techniques (GIS, algorithmic procedures, hypermedia and graphical user interface).

• The ZEIS prototype has the three main characteristics:

• a description of the topological and geometrical information on the urban projects in a GIS, using a environmental oriented conceptual model of urban projects,

• the evaluation of an environmental profile, based on a system of environmental indicators ranking from energy and emissions, to community service...,

• the on-line access to multimedia resources presenting general environmental information about sustainable development, and the presentation of three reference sites environmental analysis (Toulouse, London and Berlin).

The ZEIS platform is using now "named selections" to perform inter-city comparisons or urban variations on the same site.

Paper

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Panels of

Panel 2: Dynamics of Consumption

Panel 1: Assessment of Energy Efficiency Policy

Panel 4: Sustainable Energy Use in Buildings

Panel 3: Mobility and Transport

Panel 5: Energy Efficiency Markets & Financing Mechanisms

Panel 6: Energy Efficiency Under Joint Implementation & The Clean Development Mechanism

Panel 7: Energy Efficiency in Transition Economies