Abstract
The interaction of energy and buildings institutes a complex socio-technical system that influences the eudemonic well-being of the occupants. Understanding these drivers become even more necessary in impoverished areas where occupants struggle to avail essential energy services. The literature indicates that energy injustice can be addressed through provisioning of comfort, cleanliness, and convenience (3Cs) as critical cultural energy services in low-income areas. This study investigates the socio-architectural influence for slum rehabilitation housing (SRH) on cultural energy services that can promote distributive justice. The methodology adopts an empirical route using data from 200 household surveys from SRH in Mumbai, India, and João Pessoa, Brazil. A model between the 3Cs and socio-architectural elements was established using Firth’s binary logistic regression. The survey results showed that the SRH in Brazil had twice the appliance ownership as compared to the Mumbai SRH. There were distinct energy service preferences in the study areas, despite common poverty burdens. The empirical results showed that the lack of socio-architectural design elements like open spaces, privacy, and walkability in the study areas demanded specific comfort and convenience appliances as a counter-response. A critical policy implication drawn was on the need for socio-architectural inclusive energy planning for distributive justice in poverty. Mitigating rising energy demand through appropriate built environment design of slum rehabilitation housing can contribute to fulfilling the UN’s SDG 7 (clean and affordable energy) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities) goals.
Highlights
An energy-just world is believed to promote happiness, welfare, freedom, equity, and due process for both producers and consumers [1] (p. 13)
In reality, the urban poor exhibit a dichotomy in their consumption by portraying a middle-income consumption pattern [14,15]. We argue that this dichotomy is due to a cross-fertilisation of fulling aspirations of a middle-income consumption pattern and improving convenience through cultural energy services in poverty
We argue that the poor design of a slum rehabilitation built environment is a distributive injustice that is restricting the welfare benefits of cultural energy services (3Cs) in the study areas
Summary
An energy-just world is believed to promote happiness, welfare, freedom, equity, and due process for both producers and consumers [1] (p. 13). We argue that the poor design of a slum rehabilitation built environment is a distributive injustice that is restricting the welfare benefits of cultural energy services (3Cs) in the study areas. We vary two variables in this study—first, the typology of slum rehabilitation housing (SRH) (low-rise and high-rise buildings), and secondly the socio-cultural background of the occupants living in SRH (Brazilian SRH and Indian SRH) that defines their energy service needs. By varying these variables, we examine “how socio-architectural elements like access to open spaces, walkability, and comfort strategies influence the demand for comfort, cleanliness, and convenience (3Cs) through specific appliance ownership”.
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