Carbon-Based Urbanism

A sustainable city is more than the sum of sustainable buildings.Sustainable construction focuses on the scale of the building itself, and thereis considerable attention to staying within the Paris Agreement. However,if the focus of sustainable construction is not broadened, a blind spotwill emerge at the urban planning level: where will we build, what types ofhousing, how will we organize mobility, and how will we ensure that peoplecan live sustainably in the city? Cityförster, PosadMaxwan, and the Municipality of Rotterdam have joinedforces in this research project. With the main question “What is the role ofurban design on the CO₂ impact of Dwelling, District and Resident?”, thestudy analyses the footprint of 12 Rotterdam neighbourhoods, explicitlylooking beyond the building itself to also include the public space, mobility,and the lifestyles of residents. With five lessons learned, the report presents insights into the footprint ofdifferent neighbourhood types, which emission categories have the greatestimpact, how emissions from the built environment compare to lifestyleemissions, and which urban planning factors can play a role in reducingemissions. The research thus teaches us that not only how we build, but alsowhat kind of city we build and where should be on the sustainability agenda.