Video:
Objectives:
Germany, particularly Emmendingen, and the rest of Europe is already feeling the adverse effects of climate change, especially the recent record-breaking heat waves in Summer 2018. While Germany has an average temperature increase of 1.1 degree Celsius, Baden-Wurttemberg has an increase of 1.3 degree Celsius and Basel (Upper Rhine Valley) has almost twice the temperature increase of 2.5 degrees Celsius (Bobsein, 2018).
These effects have resulted in extreme weather conditions that lead to
- Drought
- Heat waves and Urban Heat Island
- Crop failure
- Exposure to CO2
- Air pollution
- Various negative effects on health.
Yet, there is not enough urgency in implementing long-term change to mitigate these effects.
Green infrastructure, in the neighbourhood of the College of Human Ecology, present several benefits that can help tackle the effects of climate change and strengthen the resilience of Emmendingen.
However, its benefits may not be necessarily known on a large scale due to the often high upfront costs and difficulty in capturing long-term qualitative benefits. Therefore, I used an economic method of the cost benefit analysis to evaluate whether the implementation of green infrastructure in the new neighbourhood of the College of Human Ecology will be advantageous in building the sustainability of Emmendingen.
Method:
Using Emmendingen’s current climate conditions, sustainability actions, and future plans of the city, we were able to gather the local context of the area.
(Local Data gratefully provided by Armin Bobsein, Climate Mitigation Officer of Emmendingen, Stefan Schill for Local Authority for Environmental Protection and Andrea Philipp for Agent for Sustainability Freiburg)
Through The Real World Lab in the form of a Charrette, a transdisciplinary group project, we involved the citizens in the study process, with the goal of designing a sustainable college for the town and the region.
We worked together to find suitable designs that were adapted to the local conditions of Emmendingen – not only through the climate and soils throughout the year, but using local materials and familiar colours that represented the identity of the city.
Anja Simić and Sze Ching Lam's Project on the Architectural and Buildings Code for the College (including local materials and elements specific to Emmendingen and its culture)
I used qualitative research and dialogue through an in-depth tour with Freiburg’s Sustainability Agent on Vauban and Rieselfeld as key examples of passive housing, community efforts on reducing waste, efficient transportation links, and organized wastewater and electricity systems.
Vauban's Neighbourhood (Click Right Arrow for More Pictures)
Example of Recycling and Waste Systems in Rieselfeld
Through Anna Beeman’s “Valuing the Co-Benefits of Safe Harbors Green: How Valuation Can Inform the Implementation of Green Infrastructure”, Center for Neighbourhood Technology’s “The Value of Green Infrastructure”, and other case studies of green infrastructure and passive housing, I gained insights into methods of cost benefit analysis that created the framework for my calculations.
Findings:
By identifying key green infrastructure practices that we found most suitable for Emmendingen and the College, I pinpointed the environmental, social, health, and economic benefits of each, highlighting its muilti-value and collaborative advantages.
Next, using the costs of implementation of particular local elements, I calculated the financial costs of each. This included the beginning costs, total costs to reach the 5 Year Goal, and total costs to reach the 15 Year Goal.
Local Element 1: Green roofing with local plants
Finally, using case studies and quantitative models for green infrastructure, I calculated the benefits of the new neighbourhood of the College (e.g. community improvement, reduced health costs, reduced wastewater treatment, renewable energy). This included the current sustainability conditions of Emmendingen, and the projected benefits in 5 years and 15 years.
Local Element 2: Growing local trees
Thanks to Stefan Schill from the Local Authority for Environmental Protection, I was sent a list of Local Plants in Emmendingen (Trees, Bushes, and Crawling Plants). I chose to focus on the local Carpinus Betulus or European Hornbeam, a large crown tree that is often grown near water, as key vegetation for the new neighbourhood.
This holds essential benefits for the community:
- Reducing Urban Heat Island through Shading
- Filters water & Reduces pumping and treatment costs (I calculated the amount of water intercepted/potential to filter rainfall for the Carpinus Betulus)
- Decreases Co2 and increases atmospheric oxygen
- Increases recreational space
I evaluated the impact of these recommended measures and concluded if the benefits of green infrastructure in the College outweigh the costs. I concluded that while the costs are immense, its implementation will advance Emmendingen in its resiliency and sustainability towards tackling climate change in the long-term.
Bibliography:
Ando, Amy W. 2011. Next Generation Stormwater Management: Benefits, Costs, and Policy. Resources for the Future. http://www.rff.org/blog/2011/next-generation-stormwater-management-benefits-costs-and-policy
Beeman, Anna. 2018. Valuing the Co-Benefits of Safe Harbors Green: How Valuation Can Inform the Implementation of Green Infrastructure. Vassar College.
Bobsein, Armin. 2018. Transition Town Emmendingen 2050.
Bushell, Max; Poole, Bryan; Rodriguez, Daniel; Zegeer, Charles. 2013. Costs for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements: A Resource for Researchers, Engineers, Planners and the General Public. www.walkinginfo.org/download/PedBikeCosts.pdf
Center for Neighborhood Technology:
“The Value of Green Infrastructure.” Center for Neighborhood Technology, 2010.
Green Values Stormwater Management Calculator, 2010.
http://greenvalues.cnt.org/calculator/calculator.php
“National Stormwater Management Calculator: Benefits Sheet.” Center for
Neighborhood Technology, 2010.
City of Emmendingen Website. 2018. https://www.emmendingen.de/stadt-info/stadt-emmendingen/lage/
Coates, G. J. 2013. The Sustainable Urban District of Vauban in Freiburg, Germany. Int. J. of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. Vol. 8, No. 4. 265–286.
Coenders-Gerrits, Miriam. 2010. The Role of Interception in the Hydrological Cycle. Delft University of Technology. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miriam_Coenders-Gerrits/publication/45685037_The_role_of_interception_in_the_hydrological_cycle/links/00b49523961f97f98a000000/The-role-of-interception-in-the-hydrological-cycle.pdf
Environmental Protection Agency. 2014. The Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/cnt-lancaster-report-508_1.pdf
Freiburg-Vauban Website. 2018. https://freiburg-vauban.de/en/quartier-vauban-2/
Graham, Steve. 2011. How Much Power Will a Home Wind Turbine Produce? Networx.
Milborrow, David. 2018. At the Tipping Point: 2017 Wind Cost Analysis. Wind Power Monthly. https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1455361/tipping-point-2017-wind-cost-analysis
Philipp, Andrea. 2018. Agents for Sustainability, Tour of Freiburg (Vauban & Riselfeld).
Rieger-Hofmann. 2018. Greening for the City and Settlement Area. https://www.rieger-hofmann.de/index.php?id=209
Roth, J.D. 2011. The Costs and Savings of Bicycle Community. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2011/06/15/the-costs-and-savings-of-bicycle-commuting/
Schill, Stefan. 2018. A List of the Plants of the Region of Emmendingen (Trees, Bushes, and Crawling Plants). Local Authority for Environmental Protection.
Sperling, Carsten. 2008. Freiburg-Vauban: From Military Area to Model District, Sustainable Neighbourhood Design – A Communicative Process. CABE Urban Design Summer School. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118143318/http://www.cabe.org.uk/files/udss2008-carstensperling.pdf
U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Information Administration. 1998. “Method for Calculating Carbon Sequestration by Trees in Urban and Suburban Settings” U.S. Department of Energy.
Visitacion, Bernadette J., Booth, Derek B., and Steinemann, Anne C. 2009. Costs and Benefits of Storm-Water Management: Case Study of the Puget Sound Region. Urban Planning and Development. Vol. 135, No. 4.
Wind Energy The Facts. 2018. Operation and Maintenance Costs of Wind Generated Power. https://www.wind-energy-the-facts.org/operation-and-maintenance-costs-of-wind-generated-power.html
Design Input:
Covarrubias Vargas, Braulio Andres
Hass, Lærke
Lam, Sze Ching
Lisbin, Jade
Meza Prado, Kelly
Melcon, Lorena
Rehberg, Sofie
Simić, Anja
Speth, Mona
Yaw, Nicole