Optimization of CO2 emissions in the design phases of urban planning, based on geometric characteristics: a case study of a low-density urban area in Spain

• Published in: Sustainability science 2017, Vol.12 (1), p.65-85
• Main Authors: Roldán-Fontana, J., Pacheco-Torres, R., Jadraque-Gago, E., Ordóñez, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Building construction; Buildings; Carbon; Carbon dioxide emissions; Case studies; Climate Change Management and Policy; Construction industry; Design; Earth and Environmental Science; Emissions; Energy consumption; Environment; Environmental degradation; Environmental Economics; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Green buildings; Green infrastructure; High rise buildings; Housing; Housing developments; Impact analysis; Landscape Ecology; Life cycle analysis; Life cycles; Manufacturing; Original Article; Product development; Public Health; Studies; Sustainable design; Sustainable Development; Sustainable Urban/Rural Planning and Architectural Design Innovation; Urban areas; Urban planning; Urbanization
• ISSN: 1862-4065; 1862-4057
• DOI: 10.1007/s11625-015-0342-4

When environmental impact analysis is included in the design phase of engineering projects, this lowers the cost of strategic actions that must be performed to minimize possible environmental damage in later project phases (Construction Process Stage, Use Stage, and End-of-Life Stage). In the case of family housing, efforts to optimize energy consumption will not be successful if initial urban planning stages are not taken into account. The objective of this research was to use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a method of evaluating the environmental impact of urban planning. For a surface area of 100,000 m 2 , six housing development alternatives were analyzed for the following housing profiles: (i) single-family detached house; (ii) single-family semi-detached house; and (iii) high-rise apartment buildings of 40, 20, 10, and 5 floors. The results for this case study indicated that in the building construction stage, the activities that produced the greatest environmental impact were those related to the foundation, frame elements, and siding of the buildings. More specifically, these activities were responsible for 55–68 % of the CO 2 emissions produced during this stage. In contrast, in the urbanization phase, the most harmful activities were linked to earth-moving and paving, which generated 63–75 % of the emissions in this stage of the project. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of using steel and cement with a low environmental impact as well as of creating green spaces with an environmentally friendly design. The results obtained show that the steel and concrete used in the building construction stage were responsible for 30–52 % of all of the CO 2 emissions during this phase.