Energy-conserving development regulations: current practice

Technical Report · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5281852· OSTI ID:5281852

Almost every aspect of land development has an effect on energy use, from minute architectural details to broad considerations of urban density. Energy-efficiency depends in part on how development is planned and carried out. Conventional development regulations, such as zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations, can be adapted in many ways to promote energy conservation at the community level. This report is about energy-efficient site and neighborhood design. It examines recent experiences of local governments that have adopted new development regulations or amended existing ones to promote energy conservation, more efficient generation and distribution, or a switch to alternative, renewable sources. Although much has been written in recent years about saving energy through community design, actual experience in applying these new ideas is still limited. To date, most communities have focused their efforts on studying the problem, documenting consumption patterns, and writing reports and plans. Only a handful have amended their land-use controls for the express purpose of saving energy. This study identifies 13 of these pioneering communities, after undertaking a survey of over 1400 local, regional, and state planning agencies. It takes a look at their experiences, to learn what has been done, how well it has worked, and what problems have been encountered.

• Research Organization: American Planning Association, Chicago, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5281852
• Report Number(s): ANL/CNSV-TM-38
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
291000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Conservation
293000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Policy
Legislation
& Regulation
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320600* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- (1980-)
530000 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- (-1989)
COMMUNITIES
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
LAND USE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
PLANNING
REGULATIONS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES