Neighbourhood Transformation via Multiscale Urban Optimization

Energy, emissions cutting and sustainable development are the main urban issues. The urban settlement forms could have a disproportionately large effect over the energy consumption, and consequently, on any effective longterm strategy for reducing C02 emission in the atmosphere. Hence, this paper demonstrates how it could be possible to transform an existing urban context into a lower energy consumption system, using the IMM® methodology. Assuming that the total energy consumption of the city is different from the sum of the whole building’s consumption, this theory considers that the energy efficiency of the urban system has to be optimized by its form. A specific case study, located in Australia (Gold Coast), shows that morphology plays a significant role for a long term energy-saving strategy as well as for urban efficiency, life’s quality and, generally, for any sustainable urban environment policy.