Creating regional Detroit’s first “net zero energy” community

Abstract

A multi-disciplinary faculty/student research team (the Team) at an accredited Architectural School, is partnering with the Southwest Detroit Development Collaborative (SDDC) to create a plan for our region’s first “net zero energy” community by defining and modeling key elements of a sustainable community to inform the future urban form of Southwest Detroit. Guided by our investigations, we will make recommendations on how existing community initiatives and the SDDC can use energy solutions, density, and community empowerment to create a sustainable community. The team is focusing on three areas: ecological footprint, LEED ND, and hybrid alternative energy. Utilizing our unique digital mapping interface, we will add relevant data, model “analysis layerings”, and make specific design proposals for these key elements: energy hubs, green economy, targeted, mixed-use density, and green infrastructure to support enhanced pedestrian mobility, mass transit, and electrical vehicle fleets. This project is consistent with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design [LEED and LEED ND] and will integrate LEED criteria into our digital mapping interface to recommend where points can be gained for sustainable design.The team will incorporate alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power systems which are the foundation of powering residential, commercial and industrial needs, recharge stations for electric vehicles, subgradebattery banks, and a system for compressing air in unused salt mines underneath Southwest Detroit. We will establish an ecological footprint for the community, identifying opportunities for repurposing of vacant land and development of alternative energy to drive and support sustainable community and economic growth. It is hoped that the outcome of this research would make Southwest Detroit our region’s first net zero energy community, serving as a prototype for the rest of the city and state, as well as cities worldwide.