The Overlapped City: Redefining Energy Landscapes in the Post-fossil Era

Abstract

Throughout the history of human civilization, changes in energy systems have always led to fundamental transformations in the landscapes of human occupation. In the new era, the logic of energy production and distribution will start having a significant impact on the spatial organization of the urban growth. Given the low power-density and flexible scales of renewables, cities that so far have been solely energy consumers face both the challenge and the opportunity of accommodating energy production within their boundaries. Energy is not only a spatial project but would increasingly become an ecological project, revolutionizing deeply how we should redefine the interaction between inhabitation and environment in the future. New models should go beyond purely technical advances to embrace broader political, social and cultural dimensions. “The Overlapped City” explores the morphology and synergetic spatial strategies of resilient post-fossil cities across three scales: redefining urban boundaries and urban clusters, energy infrastructure framework and a new set of urban codes (Fig. 1).

Keywords

Renewable Energy / Local Energy Production / Spatial Synergy / Projective Representation

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press