Abstract

Almost every conceivable human activity and technology requires either water, energy, food (WEF), or some combination of the three. Urban areas, where the majority of world population is concentrated, are global hotspots of WEF consumption and promoters of unsustainable use of WEF resources, acting as a negative multiplier effect along supply chains.

Climate change poses one of the highest global risks to human society, as it can affect the availability of resources (e.g. water and food) and disruptions in urban systems [2]. City transformation processes towards sustainability is decisive for global sustainability in the urban century with an increasing pressure to transform cities as beacons of sustainable development (e.g. C4O or CoM) to envisage carbon neutrality and WEF resource security without compromising social-economic prosperity. Self-sufficiency analysis in cities on food and energy [4][5] have been developed through a silo approach, with issues like city space use competition or consumers profiles typically not included.

Cityselfy project aims to advance over a key research question on what extent WEF self-sufficiency may act as a driver to achieve the city sustainability? Although there is bold research pointing technological solutions at the core for sustainable transitions, research also shows the importance of social and economic conditions for technology uptake and long term effects of deep embedded behaviour favouring efficient use of WEF resources. CitySelfy is a 3-years project, based on a research plan with a core component: integrated modelling tool, based on a modelling tool focused on the energy system, to be expanded to include water and food systems, and social parameters. CitySelfy will expand a peer-reviewed technology-based Energy system optimization tool, applied to the municipality of Cascais (Portugal), to include interlinkages with Water and Food resources, technologies and practices. Key outcomes include future optimal configurations for the WEF systems up to 2070 (e.g. decentralized power, urban farming systems, water harvesting solutions), corresponding to different levels of sufficiency and sustainability.

Authors

Luís P. Dias, Júlia Seixas, Monica Truninger, Luísa Schmidt, Rosário Oliveira, João Graça

Poster Session 3 (Nexus), Room 4 - 28th September, 15:45-16:45

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