Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Another initiative is the Ecocitizen World Map project comprising a
public-private partnership that is led by the U.S. NGO Ecocity Builders and
joined by Esri, the Association of American Geographers, Eye on Earth (a part-
nership of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Abu Dhabi
Environmental Data Initiative), Cairo University, Mundiapolis University,
University of California at Berkeley and a number of local NGOs and commu-
nity partners. The project, which started in 2013, provides tools and training
to citizens, public officials and others who want to ensure a more sustainable
and resilient urban environment through more informed decision making.
The project is intended to offer training that will provide hands-on experi-
ence with spatial data collection using smartphones and tablets as well as
low-cost open source tools for civic science in order to increase public partici-
pation and legibility around the collection of high-quality, environmentally
and socially relevant data. Citizen reports will be layered over authoritative
data for visualisation and analysis through an online map portal to provide
decision makers at every level with additional insights and bottom-up moti-
vation for more sustainable living, planning and urban design. The project
is based on broader scientific research defined by the International Ecocity
Framework and Standards (IEFS) initiative currently under development
by the U.S. NGO Ecocity Builders and its international expert advisory, and
in consultation with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR's) 'Making Cities Resilient Campaign' and UN-Habitat's
World Urban Campaign and Resilient Cities Profiling Program [4,5].
In addition, awareness campaigns led by local CBOs are numerous,
whether promoting energy-efficient behaviour or encouraging the use of
more energy-efficient appliances. Moreover, there is a growing market for
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the field of renewable energy, espe-
cially solar water heaters and Photo Voltaic (PV) modules that contribute to
decentralised energy production.
10.8 New Business Models of Green Economy that
Support Energy-Efficient Urban Development
There is still much to be studied to identify possible tailored solutions and
how to implement them in a financially viable manner to ensure their conti-
nuity. Currently, there is a need to support the emerging businesses within
the sought green economy. A set of enabling legislations and incentives is
vital to promote new business models that can effectively contribute to the
conversion into an energy-efficient urban development. There is a great need
for the contribution and participation of various organisations, interna-
tional and local, governmental and non-governmental, to move effectively
