Mapping Urban Energy Landscapes (MUEL) in the Global South

该研究项目关注人类实现低碳、社会公正城市的潜力。它关注全球南部快速城市化的地区，气候变化脆弱性和能源获取是紧迫的问题。该提案的论点是，实现低碳、社会公正的城市需要空间、社会经济和政治转型。这一转变将取决于我们为城市能源系统找到低碳发展途径的能力。能源系统的变化和城市化进程是相互依存的。因此，要制定可持续发展道路，实现低碳和社会公正的城市，就需要采用新的方法来分析能源系统和城市的共同历史和地理。（如能源使用规范和行为、经济活动和政府规章）和技术组成部分（如发电技术、配电网络和家用电器）。这些观点已经增进了我们对可持续发展道路的理解，确定了阻碍向可持续能源系统迅速过渡的结构性因素，并制定了促进过渡的体制进程。然而，这些理论并没有充分参与这些过渡的空间，历史和政治方面。此外，这些研究很少将能源系统的运作与其对全球南方城市人民日常生活的影响联系起来。在这个项目中，我加入了能源的社会技术理论和理论，这些理论着眼于城市中能源和日常生活的分布和历史，提出了一个新的概念，称为城市能源景观（UELs）。未用能源指标还提请注意全球南方城市能源生产、输送和消费所引起的公平问题，特别是在这些未用能源指标内获得能源服务和环境负担的分配不平等。该项目的论点是，关注UEL将有助于确定通往低碳、社会公正城市的可持续发展道路的障碍和机会。该建议有一个强大的方法组成部分，因为它涉及到缺乏方法来理解UEL。地理信息系统（GIS）处理数据库中的大量数据，其中位置被明确地包括为数据的一部分。它们能够识别城市土地利用特征和空间变化。然而，它们也可以隐藏重要的信息，社会和技术因素在UEL的复杂的相互作用和城市和能源发展的政治方面。本项目将开发一种新的方法，将地理信息系统的关键应用与定性研究方法联合收割机结合起来。该方法将在四个城市进行测试：马普托（莫桑比克）、利马（秘鲁）、班加罗尔（印度）和南昌（中国）。对这些案例的比较分析将有助于确定实现低碳城市的障碍和机会。该项目将建立在与世界领先的能源和城市专家的合作和指导的基础上。然而，通过这个项目，我将开发一个新的概念框架和方法，将以前分离的研究链连接起来。该研究将为能源和发展政策制定提供证据，并为城市发展规划提供实用工具，这些工具将通过与国际组织，慈善机构和企业的合作伙伴关系传播，以增加能源获取和改善城市能源的可持续性。总的来说，该项目将寻求通过确定低碳、社会公正的未来机会，在了解全球南部城市如何生产、传输和消费能源方面发挥作用。

This research project is concerned with humanity's potential to achieve low carbon, socially just cities. It focuses on rapidly urbanising areas in the global south, where climate change vulnerabilities and access to energy are pressing issues. The contention in this proposal is that achieving low carbon, socially just cities will require a spatial, socio-economic and political transformation. This transformation will depend on our ability to find low carbon development pathways for urban energy systems. Changes in energy systems and urbanisation processes are mutually dependent. Thus, devising sustainable development pathways towards low carbon and socially just cities will require new methods to analyse the shared history and geography of energy systems and cities.Sociotechnical perspectives focus on the heterogeneous nature of energy systems, including both social components (such as energy use norms and behaviour, economic activities, and government regulations) and technical components (such as generation technologies, distribution networks and home appliances). These perspectives have already advanced our understanding of sustainable development pathways identifying structural factors which prevent the rapid transition towards sustainable energy systems and devising institutional processes to catalyse transitions. These theories, however, have not fully engaged with the spatial, historical and political aspects of those transitions. Moreover, few of these studies have linked the operation of energy systems with their impacts on the everyday life of people in cities in the global South. In this project, I join sociotechnical theories of energy and theories which look at the distribution and histories of energy and everyday life in cities in a new concept called Urban Energy Landscapes (UELs). UELs also draw attention to the equity issues raised by the production, transmission and consumption of energy in cities in the global South, in particular, to the unequal distribution of access to energy services and environmental burdens within those UELs. The contention of this project is that focusing on UELs will help to identify barriers and opportunities for sustainable development pathways towards low carbon, socially just cities. The proposal has a strong methodological component because it is concerned with the lack of methodologies to understand UELs. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) handle large amounts of data in databases where location is explicitly included as part of the data. They enable the identification of urban land use features and spatial changes. However, they can also hide important information regarding the complex interactions of social and technical elements in UELs and the political aspects of urban and energy development. This project will develop a new methodology which will combine critical applications of GIS and qualitative research methods. The methodology will be tested in four cities: Maputo (Mozambique), Lima (Peru), Bangalore (India), and Nanchang (China). A comparative analysis of the cases will help identifying barriers and opportunities for achieving low carbon cities. The project will build on collaborations with and mentorship from world-leading experts in energy and cities. Yet, with this project, I will develop a new conceptual framework and methodology connecting previously separated strands of research. The research will contribute evidence for policy-making on energy and development and practical tools for urban development planning that will be disseminated through partnerships with international organisations, charities and businesses working to increase energy access and improving the sustainability of energy in cities. Overall, the project will seek to make a difference in understanding how energy is produced, transmitted and consumed in cities in the global south, by identifying opportunities for a low carbon, socially-just future.