Investigating the spatial distribution of energy poverty. An application to the city of Bologna

Abstract

Nowadays energy accessibility and affordability are global concerns. Energy poverty and its effects on households have been increasingly discussed in the public debate, as well as addressed by energy and social policies. Nevertheless, measures to tackle energy poverty at urban scale remain fragmented, and they are far to be fully embedded into urban planning tools. This paper explores a new methodological approach to investigate vulnerability related to energy poverty. It is based on the identification of three main thematic areas of vulnerability (i.e., socioeconomic, energy, climate). For each of these components, a synthetic vulnerability sub-index has been developed, which has allowed the identification of an overall energy poverty vulnerability index, able to detect different levels of energy poverty vulnerability at urban scale. This approach, combined with a thorough urban analysis, has been applied to the city of Bologna and it has allowed the identification of urban regeneration strategies for each investigated urban area, targeted to the energy poverty-related vulnerabilities detected. The results are intended to provide evidence on how to improve the urban planning tools, to support policy makers to better address energy poverty in cities.

Keywords

• energy poverty
• vulnerability index
• urban planning
• spatial distribution
• urban regeneration