Proceedings of Pathways to Resilient Zero Carbon Cities Conference, 12-13th July 2021

Due to the increasing risks from global warming, optimising our cities to cut carbon emissions to zero before 2050 is seen as one of the prerequisites for a sustainable world. In response to this challenge, a number of world cities have declared carbon emergency and an aspiration to achieve zero emissions, in some cases as early as 2030, but there are no clear pathways towards that goal. Simultaneously, all cities have been caught unprepared by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, testing their resilience to extremes. As the worldwide urban population is expected to grow to nearly 70% by 2050, there is an overwhelming case for improving our future by transforming cities into resilient zero carbon communities. The conference gathered an international audience of researchers, designers, experts, and policy makers to provide a forum for exchange of knowledge in the complex issues of multiple pathways towards resilient zero carbon cities. Video recordings of all contributions are on http://www.zerocarbonlab.com/conferences.html.

The contributions include:

Designing Future Urbanism
by Prof Tom Jefferies
Chair of Future Cities at Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom

Optimization Bundle Paths of Building Envelope for Zero Carbon Strategies
by Gülin Yazıcıoğlu, Damlanur İlipınar
Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Integrating artificial urban wetlands into communities: a pathway to carbon zero?
by Dr Robert Rogerson, Dr Donagh Horgan, Dr Jennifer Roberts
University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom

How can UK Housing Projects be Brought in Line with Net-zero Carbon Emission Targets?
by Purvesh Bharadwaj, Prof Lubo Jankovic, Dr Silvio Carta
Zero Carbon Lab, University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Cumulative embodied and operational emissions of retrofit in Birmingham Zero Carbon House
by John Christophers(1) and Prof Lubo Jankovic(2)
(1)Zero Carbon House and (2)Zero Carbon Lab, University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

A Systemic perspective for a Resilient Net Zero Future
by Dr Tom Dolan
University College London, United Kingdom

Novel alternatives to traditional at-risk heritage materials due to climate change
by Peter Booth and Prof Lubo Jankovic
Zero Carbon Lab, University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Reducing embodied emissions with construction from hemp-lime bio-composite material
by Alex Sparrow
Director, UK Hempcrete Ltd, United Kingdom

Where Does the UK Supreme Court Stand on Climate Change?
by Dr Chamu Kuppuswamy
University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Dynamics of virtual urban networks: transactions, connections, urban memory, resilience potential, robustness and edge of collapse
by Prof Lubo Jankovic
Zero Carbon Lab, University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Solar Dollars: Unblocking Multi-dimensional Mega-crisis with Complementary Currency Obtained from the Sun
by Thomas H. Greco, Jr.
Beyondmoney.net, United States

Business Model Innovation for Resilient Zero Carbon Cities using Digital Twins
by Dr Erika Pärn
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Creating Zero Carbon Communities: The Role of Digital Twins in Green Recovery
by Sadaf Askari and David Ross
Integrated Environmental Solutions, United Kingdom

Developing resilience to emergencies: assessments of outdoor comfort and thermal indices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
by Dr Timothy O. Adekunle
University of Hartford, United States

Resilient Zero Carbon communities - A novel workflow
by Dr Silvio Carta, Dr Luigi Pintacuda, Dr Ian Wyn Owen, Tommaso Turchi
University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Construction Platforms and Design for Manufacture and Assembly
by Jaimie Johnston
Director, Head of Global Systems, Bryden Wood, United Kingdom