Reducing Energy Consumption, while Protecting the Environment - Energy and Climate: How to Achieve a Successful Energy Transition - page 52

a life satisfaction index by life expectancy and relating this product to the
ecological footprint. Numerous other indicators have been introduced;
the 'green GIP' was introduced by the World Bank and the Human
Development Index (HDI) was introduced by the United Nations [41].
It does not seem feasible to define a single factor, which would take into
account all the different factors. The existence of different indicators
illustrates the fact that the GIP does not represent a unique or even the best
way to measure the development of a society.
Renewing the organisation of housing and transport
The residential and tertiary sector represents 40% of the world primary
energy demand and transport 25%.
The need to improve energy conservation requires a new organisation
of housing and transport.
Dispersed suburban housing such as that which has become very wide-
spread intheUSAimplies theneedtouse individual transportmeans,which
results inahigher consumptionof energy anda stronger dependence onoil.
In contrast, more concentrated housing reduces transport distances
and helps to develop collective transport modes. Figure 5.2 illustrates the
correlation between lower energy consumption and population density [31].
Conversely, the development of individual cars leads to an uncontrolled
spreading and a dislocation of the urban environment. One of the
consequences is a progressive increase of the distance between the home
and the work place. For example, in France, this distance was 4 km on
average in 1959 and is now 15 km today. The continuity of the urban
setting is also broken by the multiplication of large commercial stores,
university campuses and leisure complexes.
This development is partly unavoidable, but also entails drawbacks,
with consequences which are increasingly obvious. It is necessary to take
into account all the different disadvantages of automotive transport (noise,
pollution, time lost due to traffic jams), and the social constraints (reduced
transport possibilities for elder, poorer or disabled people). Infrastructures
designed to facilitate access to cars and not integrated into an overall urban
development plan are unattractive and quite often destroy the harmony of
a landscape, as demonstrated by numerous shopping centres in the close
vicinity of large urban areas. It has been shown that an urban highway, by
its detrimental impact upon local community life, can result in an increase
in criminal behaviour. The city becomes a noisy and polluted area, which is
left by the more affluent people who prefer to live in the suburbs.