More than the sum of the parts: System analysis of the usability of roofs in housing estates
In the contemporary world, cities are known for their housing estates, i.e., mass social housing characterised by high- and medium-rise apartment blocks. As most of these estates are in low-cost areas, many households deal with food-energy-water (FEW) poverty.
Consumption of energy and water in housing estates is much higher when energy and water supply are scarce. Also, types of family units influence energy and water consumptions. FEW-poverty can be correlated with low-income households, low energy efficiency among households and high energy prices. As a result, crops cannot grow sufficiently, resulting in food poverty. Therefore, systems that irrigate crops with rainwater will be a solution.
Rooftops made fit for urban farming improves self-sufficiency and vegetable consumption by 53%. Understanding the housing estates is therefore vital as it provides knowledge on socio-economic and environmental issues of the urban areas. As a result, rooftops can be adjusted to this information, resulting in more robust, self-sufficient, and useful roof usages. This can be done using the MuSIASEM method – a matrix that can estimate losses and values of conventional systems. It is recommended to do so to better understand human activity and metabolic rates. Once the concerns are identified, rooftops can be adjusted.
FoodE
Ongoing | 2020-2024
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Italy