Aarhus is one of the best cities to live and work. In 2024, it was ranked the happiest city in the world. And seven years previously, Aarhus headed the chart of the most mindful cities internationally.
Still, many challenges lie ahead. Take climate change. Aarhus needs to find a way to reduce its annual carbon footprint of 1.3 million tons of CO2e to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. Urbanisation is another concern. The city's population has grown rapidly from 260,000 inhabitants in 2014 to around 340,000 today. If the trend continues, the population is likely to surpass the original target of 375,000 by the end of the decade. Worried that home-building may not be able to keep up pace, construction professionals warn of potential housing shortages.
All these wild times and wicked societal challenges call for wild, out-of-the-box solutions like positive energy districts (PEDs) and local digital twins (LDTs). What is so wild/different about them, you may ask.
Well, instead of trying to make the whole city climate neutral at once, it's better to proceed with decarbonisation one district at a time. In BIPED, our aim is to make the Brabrand district energy-positive and then replicate this success in other areas.
Furthermore, instead of wondering how new policies will impact urban development, we propose to take the guesswork out of urban planning by using LDTs. The technology provides a virtual urban space to test and fine-tune policy measures until they are fully optimised for the task at hand. The aim is to deliver, using the best available information, first-time-right solutions that reduce the need for costly trials or adjustments.
The early prototype of our LDT4PED solution was demoed at the second edition of the Wild Technologies Festival held in Aarhus 30-31 August 2024. The event presented a perfect opportunity to share BIPED thinking on how to improve governance of our cities through an ambitious district transformation that is green and digital.
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