Residential Built Form and Carbon Footprint: Quantifying Energy Consumption and Carbon Footprint for Varied Residential Typologies Bhanu Mahajan and Meenakshi Singhal
- Vol. 14(04), October-December
- New Delhi Institute of Town Planners 2017
- 1-11
This study tries to investigate and quantitatively compare the impact of varied residential development typologies on energy consumption and carbon footprint. Three residential development scenarios are hypothesized on a site in Ahmedabad based on differences in building heights, ground coverage and density which impact differently upon requirements of buildings, transport infrastructure and public amenities. The energy and carbon inventory of these scenarios are then compared in per capita values. The research concludes that reduction in carbon and energy footprint by reduced horizontal travel distance is offset by their increased usage in vertical amenities and there is no significant change in the overall carbon footprint. This result can be used by policy makers to check the penetration of west influenced developmental approaches in India, while planners can acknowledge these findings and explore other methods to reduce travel distance related carbon emissions.