Research project energy transitions in cities. Lifestyle, experimentation and change.

“Energy transitions in cities. Lifestyle, experimentation and change”, is an international comparative study, with focus on a limited yet illustrative number of metropolitan realities in developed and emerging economies. This is a joint initiative of Euricur (European Institute for Comparative Urban Research) and Enel Foundation and should run for approximately 2 years, with closing date foreseen for June 2014.

The project aims at better understanding the role of cities, as players and places, in energy transitions, focusing on the user/consumer side and their changing behavior and lifestyle, but also at how new sources of energy production and distribution modes emerge, are experimented and legitimated in cities. The study involves also looking at the role played by leading utilities – in cooperation with municipal administrations, users and other urban stakeholders – in creating shared values, for theexperimentation and scaling-up of more sustainable services and solutions.

The project combines desk research and the review of state-of-the-art experiences with the collection of primary, new evidence in cities. It takes place in 3 stages:

1) development of a methodological framework of analysis, tested on an urban pilotcase study (Stockholm);

2) extension of the framework to 6 cities (Turin, Shanghai, Berlin, Santiago de Chile, Rio De Janeiro, S. Francisco) and in-depth investigation of the key dynamics ongoing in their respective energy sectors (megatrends);

3) synthesis and presentation of general findings. Best practices and comparative findings resulting from the case studies will be collected and applied to Rome and Barcelona for a comparative analysis.

This publication includes the results of the third case study of the project: the city of Shanghai.

• Luís Carvalho, Irina Lazzereni, Leo Van Den Berg, Erwin  Van Tuiji, 2013, Third Case Study: Shanghai. Full text of the working paper http://www.enel.com/en-GB/doc/enel_foundation/library/papers/ef_wp5.2013.pdf
• See the other working papers on Stockholm and Turin:  http://www.enel.com/en-GB/enel_foundation/library/working_papers/