In excess of 120 million square feet of built area, the energy requirements and resulting carbon emissions for the Chicago Business District and residential core can be reduced in aggregate by 30% within the next five years. In contrast, Chicago's carbon emissions have continued to rise in spite of the adoption of the Chicago Climate Action Plan which calls for a 25% reduction in carbon emissions below 1990 levels by 2020. This dramatic and accelerated reduction will only be achieved by a deployment surge in targeted energy efficiency measures in existing building stock. This presentation will focus on the Chicago Central Area Decarbonization Plan, developed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and PositivEnergy Practice along with city officials over the past year, as the kernel project for a broader regional, national and global rollout of a new and accelerated approach to improving city performance.
In contrast to a traditional approach to planning which culminates in the delivery of a static document, fixed in time, decarbonization planning is dynamic, flexible and smart with the ability to adapt an ever evolving urban context. The process utilizes an open source information
and collaboration platform that enables citizens, government and business leaders to visualize the collective results of their actions. Just as cities provide a framework of services to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses, this urban operating system is a framework for environmental impact monitoring, behavior change
marketing and public consensus building for planned development.