Global Warming Potential of City Districts – a Case Study in Sweden
Abstract
The European Union aims to achieve climate neutrality in 2050, 23 cities in Sweden aim to reach that goal already by 2030. A new city district in southern Sweden is being developed with the goal of achieving near net-zero carbon emissions. This study evaluates its first completed construction phase and aims to draw learning outcomes to lower carbon emissions for the remaining upcoming construction phases. An urban energy modelling approach was applied using open access databases to create 3D building energy models and estimate global warming potential over the entire life cycle. Results for seven multi-family buildings show that the average global warming potential for the construction stage (A1 to A5) was estimated to be 360 kg CO₂e/m² gross floor area. This value is close to the national average (375 kg CO₂e/m²) which is still far from net-zero carbon goals. The workflow shows potential for replication on early-stage planning which supports science based urban design towards lower carbon emissions.
Keywords
climate impact, global warming potential, city districts, climate neutral