Abstract

Envisioning an Ecodistrict: Energy Modeling for Urban Redevelopment Projects
Track: Urban and Regional Planning
Authors: Sarah Moulton, Craig Cleveland

How do you take a developed urban area filled with single-use office space and transform it into a living, breathing Ecodistrict? The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) is currently taking on this challenge in Washington, DC. With the help of Esri, NCPC is developing a GIS model that takes existing building energy data and compares it to a variety of redevelopment scenarios on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The model also investigates energy use at a district level to see how the existing tri-generation power plant serving the area could function at a high level of efficiency.

By using basic information gleaned from BIM rehab and redevelopment scenarios, anyone can use the Esri tool sets to develop a system-wide energy analysis model and interface to compare and contrast various development opportunities. The tool can also be expanded to track water use and waste generation on-site, two other major components of sustainable design.