Abstract Body

The Oakland EcoBlock is a planning project that will retrofit an existing residential city block to change resource use and energy production at the block scale. This scale is believed to be more resource use efficient than the individual house scale, using less energy and water, and in turn, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) production. Existing residential city blocks are considered underutilized sites to realize reductions, since they are significant sources of GHG emissions. Further, the block scale is thought to be more cost-efficient with the potential to unlock funds to accelerate deployment of retrofit measures. Little is known about how action at this scale can transform the consumptive characteristics of America’s existing urban and sub-urban residential landscape. The study contributes a detailed description of the planning process for a block scale project that seeks to address today’s challenges of energy and water scarcity, greenhouse gas emissions, and enhanced resilience. Drawing on interview data with members of the Oakland EcoBlock project team in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, USA, the project team identified key decision-making points and factors (positive and negative) that informed this neighborhood-scale residential retrofit project. The project team also identify which factors are more likely to lead to scaling up of water, energy (and associated transportation) sectors. Interview narratives reveal a high level of complexity between the technical and social elements of the project. Descriptions suggest that identifying the right scale for a residential retrofit project is linked to planning, modeling, simulating and demonstrating a specific project. In addition, initiatives to deploy and scale up retrofit measures will be affected by the success of the project team to secure external support, develop generalizable approaches, and create compelling narratives. The study concludes that social barriers, on balance, outweigh technical limitations. In addition, cost, and to a lesser degree valuation, is a primary input for critical decision-making points throughout the project planning process.