Toward a Sustainable Energy transition in the Built Environment

The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history. In the actual context of growing interests in environmental issues, uban areas are known to present high potentialities in terms of energy reduction. However, existing models and regulation often adopt the perspective of the individual building as an autonomous entity, and neglect the importance of phenomena linked to larger scales, while decisions made at the neighbourhood and the city scales have important consequences on the performance of individual buildings, on the transport habits of the inhabitants and on the potential mutualisation of renewable energy production. This chapter examines strategies toward a sustainable energy transition in the built environment. The chapter summarizes and put into perspectives findings from numerous studies that have investigated parameters influencing energy consumption of the built environment including location, urban form, density, mix use, mobility patterns, buildings insulation, energy mix and inhabitants’ behaviours. This chapter contributes to the important area of understanding how to facilitate a sustainable transition in the built environment through urban and suburban renewal.