Accelerating net zero delivery: What can UK cities learn from around the world?
Using case studies from the UK and overseas, this report looks at how cities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help the UK meet its net zero target.
Using case studies from the UK and overseas, this report looks at how cities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help the UK meet its net zero target.
The UK government has set a target of net zero by 2050, with some devolved nations and cities setting earlier targets.
This is a national target, but one that will require policy at the international, national and local levels. Locally, just as not every place emits the same amount of carbon dioxide, not every place has the same ability to reduce emissions.
Emissions per capita in urban areas in the UK are 41 per cent lower than the rest of the country and have fallen faster over the last two decades. This is because the density of cities supports lower carbon lifestyles. For example, the higher density of cities makes lower carbon transport choices like public and active travel more convenient. Density also changes the nature of what we build, with smaller houses using less energy than detached homes.
And cities will need to continue to make an outsized contribution if the UK meet its net zero target. They will need to take advantage of the relationship between density and emissions to encourage more walking, cycling and public transport usage in particular.
Nationally, this means recognising the importance of cities for net zero and supporting them to maximise their emissions reductions potential. Planning policy that encourages densification is a key tool to help cities capitalise on the benefits of their higher density for decarbonisation. This could look like a shift towards a more rules-based planning framework to streamline the process for new developments, speed up the construction of energy-efficient homes and existing buildings to expand upwards.
The Government should also expand and deepen devolution to empower cities to deliver net zero initiatives. Spatial planning powers and the ability to create a city-wide transport authority will help metro mayors and city leaders bring together housing and transport, encourage transit-oriented development and improve public transport. Fiscal devolution – more powers to raise and retain revenue locally – will help cities to invest in and cross-subsidise net zero measures.
For cities themselves, this means focusing on the areas of policy where they can already act – namely those areas where they have greater control of the policy areas and assets involved in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The case studies featured in this report cover three areas, how we build, how we move, and how we power our cities, and are designed to serve as inspiration for local policymakers.
Retrofitting and building new more energy-efficient buildings alongside switching to lower carbon heat sources like heat pumps and heat networks is central to reducing domestic emissions. Cities can accelerate this by focusing retrofitting efforts on public housing where they have greater control, and larger-scale developments that help inform future projects.
Cities will also need to prepare for the introduction of Heat Network Zoning by identifying priority areas for heat network infrastructure and mapping potential waste heat sources. This can include working with the private sector to capture waste heat from commercial and industrial facilities.
Reducing private car use in favour of public and active travel choices will help cities make progress on transport emissions and takes advantage of the fact that public transport is more viable in higher density areas. To make public and active travel preferable to car travel, cities need a combination of ‘stick’ measures like congestion charges and low emissions zones and ‘carrot’ measures like improvements to public transport and better active travel infrastructure.
Cities can also help encourage EV uptake. They can do this by addressing the lack of off-street parking and charging through accelerating the rollout of on-street, public chargepoints, and by supporting EV car share schemes and chargepoint maps.
Many net zero initiatives rely on having lower carbon sources of energy, and the demand for energy is set to increase as the electrification of heating and transport continues.
Cities can contribute to decarbonising energy generation by accelerating the development of distributed energy generation, for example through local legislation to encourage solar panel installation. Microgrids and local energy markets can also help cities increase their energy flexibility and reduce pressure on the grid.
