The document summarizes key points from the Verge DC 2012 conference on sustainable urban development. It discusses how energy, transportation, buildings, and information technologies are converging to make cities more sustainable and efficient. Population growth and urbanization trends will make cities important drivers of sustainability and innovation over the coming decades. The conference covered topics like smart energy grids, electric vehicles, green buildings, open data platforms, and new tools and policies that allow cities to experiment and collaborate on sustainability solutions.

1. Notes from the Field:
VERGE DC Conference 2012
John Lehnert
Sustainable Urban Development
Presidio Graduate School
April 22, 2012

2. Verge DC: Overview
A project of GreenBiz – research, events
Convergence of four key technologies:
• Energy
• Building
• Transportation
• Information
All of these are vital for urban sustainability
Recorded event content available at: http://www.greenbiz.com/microsite/verge

3. Century of the City
Demographics & Economics:
• 50% world population (now)  70% (2050)
• Top 100 cities comprise 30% of world GDP
• Middle class: 1.8 B (now)  4.8 B (2030)
Upside: larger cities = more efficient / effective
Downside: look at Nigeria today (NY Times)
Panel discussion: Cities as a Catalyst for Sustainability
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/world/africa/in-nigeria-a-preview-of-an-
overcrowded-planet.html

4. Century of the City
“Citystates” - states of cities define how they matter
1) Connected
2) Decisive
3) Adaptive
4) Collaborative
5) Visceral
6) Personal
7) Experimental
http://www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/SustainAbility_Citystates_March2012_0.pdf

5. Energy: The New (resilient) Grid
• Utilities:
“dinosaurs”
• Micro-utilities:
need price info
• Data in real time
• Monitoring
(e.g. Opower)
Interview: Jon Wellinghoff, FERC
Panel discussion: Liberating Energy Data

6. Buildings: Energy Efficiency
Built environment is leading user of electricity
Key Trends:
• Measure/monitor
• More project data
• Behavior > tech
• People = sensors
Accelerating Green Building Market Transformation (Pyke)
Panel Discussion: Revolutionizing the Built Environment
http://cm.asu.edu [campus metabolism] – enlisting students to reduce energy use
http://www.envisioncharlotte.com/ - targeting/tracking/displaying bldg energy use

7. Transportation: Electric Vehicles
EV (autos, motorcycles)
Must address access to power
Convergent benefit:
Cars as grid power
storage
Technology:
Lighter materials = lower battery-power needs
Panel Discussion: Paving the Way for a National Network of EV’s
Daniel Kim (Lit Motors)
Interview: Amory Lovins – see also “Reinventing Fire”

8. Information: Big Data
The “Global Brain”
• Humans connected/augmented
The Internet of Things
• 50 B devices
• Using ambient energy
Urban Datasets
• London DataStore
Tim O’Reilly
Kent Dickson (Tendril)

9. Information: Tools
AMEE:
Carbon footprint of everything
Tendril:
Connecting everything

10. Citystate: Adaptive/Experimental
Technology – Code for America
• IT solutions to urban challenges
Technology – City of San Francisco
• SFPark
Policy – City of Philadelphia
• Differential stormwater billing
Financial – B of A
• CDFI funds for energy efficiency
Panel discussion: Cities as a Catalyst for Sustainability; Jennifer Pahlka (Code for America)

11. Citystate: Collaboration / Competition
City of Philadelphia
• Recycling competition (3x increase)
• Dow – white roofs ( + heat tracking by NASA)
Social
Sharing/Access Economy Web Mobile
• City as a Service Prod
• Car Sharing & Svcs
Lisa Gansky: “The Mesh”
Robin Chase (Zip Car, Buzzcar)

12. My view of Convergence…
Transportation Energy Building
Data  Tools  Analysis
INFORMATION
Enables
Relationships
Learning
Innovation
CITIES