Technical innovation in socio-oriented urban environments for “transitional pathways” towards low carbon cities. A conceptual framework.

Abstract Utilising the idea of transitional processes towards environment friendly cities and communities, this paper outlines some strategies to manage climate change in the urban environment and envisages new steps towards a carbon neutral, socially inclusive post-carbon city. It is argued that, in order to approach low carbon issues in the built environment of the city, it is necessary to turn the perceptive and physical approach to urban form “inside-out”, according to a reversed approach focussed on the “void” of the city. The paper, stressing the important role that a new urban model might play in a transition pathway to a lower carbon electricity economy, also contends that it is necessary to investigate the human and social life within the city by looking for possible intersections between urban renewal needs and basic human needs like food, energy, culture and communication. It begins with a brief review of current urban building design and perspectives, situating these in the context of the body of research on energy efficient and low carbon issues in a socio-technical oriented city model.