Changing Human Behavior towards Energy Saving through Urban Planning

The worldwide energy demand has been and continues to be increasing; prevailing developments don't predict a change in this trend. At present, the predominantly used energy sources are not renewable. Consequently, within the next decades, a major lack of energy supply and increasing energy prices are expected. Apart from the environmental problems that are caused by energy generation and consumption, the predicted lack of energy sources in the future makes increasing energy demand one of the main societal problems at present. Various disciplines have already considered the increasing energy demand a serious problem not to be underestimated. However, most disciplines don't take into account that people don't consume energy just to consume energy, which is why they won't save energy just to save it. It is their activities, behavior, and lifestyles that require energy as an input factor. The purpose of this work is to find solutions for saving energy through urban planning by considering these causes and by changing the living environments. The aim of this work is to create a new planning approach towards not only energy-efficient settlements but also energy-efficient people.

Autorentext

Petra Stieninger has a Ph.D. in urban planning (Vienna University of Technology). She conducted extensive research on energy-efficient, sustainable urban planning in Europe and the U.S. She lives in Chicago and works as a U.S. market entry consultant for companies active in the fields of sustainable urban planning and environmental technologies.