David Lazarevic

Implementing Smart Urban Metabolism in the Stockholm Royal Seaport: Smart City SRS

For half a century, system scientists have relied on urban metabolism (UM) as a pragmatic framework to support the needed transition toward sustainable urban development. It has been suggested that ...

Smart Urban Metabolism: Towards a Real-Time Understanding of the Energy and Material Flows of a City and Its Citizens

Abstract Urban metabolism is a concept employed to understand the flow of energy and materials through urban areas. However, applying this approach at the city level has been limited by the lack of data at this scale. This paper reviews the current application of the urban metabolism concept and proposes the concept of a “smart urban metabolism” (SUM). Through integrating ICT and smart-city technologies, the SUM model can provide real-time feedback on energy and material flows, from the level of the household to the urban district. This is highlighted through an example of its application in the Stockholm Royal Seaport, Sweden.

Principles for sustainability: the need to shift to a sustainable conventional regime

This paper argues that the present dominant economic system rests upon unquestioned beliefs that are in a deep contradiction with the pursuit of sustainable development. The economics of conventions is used as an analytical framework through which to demonstrate the conflict between the dominant conventions underpinning societal development and the objectives of sustainable development. It suggests that a trajectory towards the objectives of sustainable development should be managed through a reflexion concerning the conventional principles required to be adopted in order to favour the emergence of a new conventional regime. The principles of proximity, the increase in individual and collective capabilities, and participative democracy are presented as possible principles that could be adopted in order to favour the emergence of a new conventional regime.

Big Data GIS Analytics Towards Efficient Waste Management in Stockholm

This paper presents preliminary findings from a big data analysis and GIS to identify the efficiency of waste management and transportation in the City of Stockholm. The aim of this paper is to ide ...

The legitimacy of life cycle assessment in the waste management sector

PurposeLife cycle assessment (LCA) is commonly presented as a tool for rational decision-making. It has been increasingly used to support decision-making in situations where multiple actors possess diverse, and sometimes conflicting, perspectives, values and motives. Yet, little effort has been placed on understanding LCA in a social framework of action. This paper aims to analyse the legitimacy of LCA in public sector decision-making situations, the criticisms presented against LCA, and suggest potential ways to alleviate these criticisms.MethodsThis study consists of a case study of the application of LCA in the waste management sector in England and France. To gain an understanding of the justification and criticism of LCA, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with national and local level waste management actors. The justifications and criticism of the application of LCA was analysed through an analytical framework, the economies of worth. This suggests that in situations of disagreement, actors’ justifications are required to show their attachment to plural forms of common good. This work analyses the orders of worth in which justifications and criticisms of the application of LCA were based.Results and discussionLCA is applied primarily as a test of environmental efficiency, illustrating a collaboration between the industrial and green orders of worth. Actors apply LCA with the aspiration of replicating the scientific method and producing robust evidence to support the most efficient waste treatment option. In this case, efficiency is coupled with the green order of worth, where gains in efficiency mean lower environmental impacts. Internal criticisms of LCA, based in the industrial order of worth, highlights the limitations of LCA to act as a test of environmental efficiency. Furthermore, criticism based in the civic order of worth highlights the friction which arises in decision-making situations when LCA has been seen to subjugate the civic nature of waste management decisions.ConclusionsOne potential way forward for LCA may be to introduce aspects relevant in the civic order of worth which aims at achieving a compromise between the industrial and civic orders of worth. Envisioning LCA as a process-oriented tool, as opposed to an outcome-oriented tool, can allow for aspects on public involvement in the LCA process, thereby increasing its civic legitimacy.

Circular Economy: Origins and Future Orientations

The circular economy is increasingly attracting the attention of various actors in Europe and globally. It refers to closing material loops and prolonging the lifetime of materials; and, as such, presents a radically different socio-technological future compared to the unsustainable conventional ‘take-make-dispose’ economic model. The concepts underpinning the circular economy are not new, and ecological economics, environmental economics and industrial ecology have been highlighted as its significant antecedents. The circular economy requires involvement of all the societal actors: companies, which bring new circular economy business models; consumers, who create the demand for products and services that apply circular economy principles and decision makers, who support the transition with ‘better’ policy instruments and governance. The circular economy is expected to bring multiple benefits to the environment and the economy, but only a few examples have demonstrated the circular economy’s potential economic benefits for industrial actors. This chapter provides an overview of the concepts, principles, expectations, strategies, business models, indicators and future trends connected to the circular economy.

Energy and Urban Systems

Energy and environmental security are major problems facing our global economy. Fossil fuels, particularly crude oil, are confined to a few regions of the world while the continuity of supply is go ...