Retrofitting Sustainability for Energy Reduction in Urban and Rural Systems: An Agenda for Interdisciplinary Research
Sustainable retrofitting is a developing combination of engineering techniques that operate at different spatial scales (single dwellings, streets, neighbourhoods, cities and regions).
It is built on explicit assumptions about the technical effectiveness and cost efficiency of this form of intervention, but with largely implicit assumptions about models and processes of socio-economic and institutional change, and their consequences for resource-efficient behaviour, equity and fairness, healthy living and well being.
Supported by funding from the EPSRC, we have established a research network which aims to formulate an interdisciplinary research agenda on retrofitting sustainability, interrogating the concept from engineering, planning, public health, transport and social science perspectives, to establish a sound basis and clear focus for collaborative research on the critical issues – technological, social and economic – confronting sustainable retrofitting as a strategy for energy reduction in urban and rural systems.
The network held its first open seminar on 'New Perspectives and Partnerships for Retrofitting Sustainability' in May 2012; for more information, and to view the speakers' presentations, please click here.