Abstract

IT IS A COMMONLY held belief that a compact city is a more energy-efficient city. In Auckland, like many other cities, this has become enshrined in policy.
Compact housing is believed to have a lower surface to volume ratio and will therefore lose less heat. The low-density urban form of suburbia is also believed to be energy inefficient because of high oil-dependent private transport use.
At face value, compact houses and urban forms appear to be the solution for a sustainable Auckland. But while these beliefs may be true for now, consider the future when:
●the climate will be warmer
●emerging technologies will replace the internal combustion engine
●harvesting energy from rooftop photovoltaics will be cheaper than the grid.
Should we be designing buildings and cities for the present or for future conditions?