Energy and the form of cities: the counterintuitive impact of disruptive technologies

Abstract

This paper reviews the historical research that has led to widespread policies on compact urban form, in particular, residential development, and collates evidence that demonstrates that dispersed urban form may be more energy efficient than compact form. This is counterintuitive but is supported by both challenging the conventional modelling of energy use of buildings as well as case studies with empirical evidence. The conclusion is that policies on urban form should be driven not by existing technologies but by the disruptive technologies of the future. The increased use in distributed energy generation in urban areas (generally roof-mounted photovoltaics), the growth in ownership of electric vehicles and the potential introduction of smart and micro-grids and the possibility of virtual power plants is changing the impact that energy has on built form and conflicts with current policies for denser, contained and compact development.