Cities & Buildings

Where we live and where we work are critical to who we are. How we power, organize, and move within these spaces is a key part of our energy story.

Recent Work

Report

Breaking the Lock on Urban Climate Finance: A Proposal for a Green Cities Guarantee Fund to Support Climate Resilient Infrastructure in Cities

Many have claimed that the battle for climate change will be won in cities; yet the slow rate and pace of funding for needed projects has hindered progress, necessitating a call for solutions to attract more money for these ends. The SDSN Global Commission on Urban SDG Finance working with CAF, the Latin American Development Bank is proposing the development of a Green Cities Guarantee Fund as one such solution.

Digest

Heat Stress and Urban Resilience: Alternative Cooling Strategies to Combat Extreme Heat in the Urban Environment

As heat intensifies in cities, this digest argues that solar-powered open-air cooling shelters can play a critical role in a layered urban cooling strategy—providing resilient, low-energy relief that complements cooling centers and remains operational during power outages.

Energy Efficiency

Digest

Evaluating K-12 Public School District Sustainability Plans for Justice and Equity

Sustainability and climate plans for public K-12 school districts have the potential to address infrastructural gaps that produce outdated, unhealthy, and unsafe school facilities. This project takes a deeper look at several plans across the nation.

Digest

The Economics of Building Electrification

The percentage of U.S. homes heated with electricity has increased steadily from 1% in 1950 to 40% in 2020. New research explores the implications of this increase for a growing number of policies aimed at electrifying buildings.