Communities | Community Energy and Greenhouse Gas Mapping
City of Calgary: Energy Mapping Study
The City of Calgary recently approved a new Municipal Development Plan and Calgary Transportation Plan (aka Plan It!), setting the direction for the growth and change of Calgary for the next 60 years. Plan it! reflects the interests and concerns of stakeholders and helps the city move towards a more compact urban form, and Calgary towards sustainability. The plan is guided by 11 sustainability principles of which principle 11 focuses on the utilization of green infrastructure and buildings. This principle guided the development of the Energy Mapping Study.
Energy is the largest area of impact on Calgary’s ecological footprint (6.6 hectares per person). The city is expecting 1.3 million new residents over the next 50 – 60 year. These residents will require energy. Given current trends of supply and demand it is expected that most of this energy will come from non-renewable resources creating more Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG). The built form is the biggest contributor of GHG emissions to Calgary’s energy footprint. Changing the built form – homes, roads, offices structures, power plants, dams and transportation – will provide us an opportunity to change energy consumption patterns.
The Energy Mapping Study provided guidance in terms of the reduction of greenhouse gass, energy efficiency, cost and alternative resource use associated with a changing built form now and in the future. Upcoming work will include a comprehensive Community Greenhouse Gas Plan with several community energy initiatives.
