Urban metabolism: Methodological Advances in Urban Material Flow Accounting Based on the Lisbon Case Study by Niza, Samuel and Rosado, Leonardo and Ferrão, Paulo (2009)

Urban metabolism: Methodological Advances in Urban Material Flow Accounting Based on the Lisbon Case Study

Title

Urban metabolism: Methodological Advances in Urban Material Flow Accounting Based on the Lisbon Case Study

Author(s)

Samuel Niza

Leonardo Rosado

Paulo Ferrão

Year

2009

Type

Journal Article

Source

Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 13, Pages 384--405

DOI

10.1111/j.1530-9290.2009.00130.x

Abstract

Urban metabolism studies have been established for only a few
cities worldwide, and difficulties obtaining adequate statistical
data are universal. Constraints and peculiarities call for innovative methods to quantify the materials entering and leaving
city boundaries. Such methods include the extrapolation of
data at the country or the region level based, namely, on sales,
population, commuters, workers, and waste produced.
The work described in this article offers a new methodology developed specifically for quantifying urban material flows,
making possible the regular compilation of data pertinent to
the characterization of a city's metabolism. This methodology was tested in a case study that characterized the urban
metabolism of the city of Lisbon by quantifying Lisbon's material balance for 2004. With this aim, four variables were
characterized and linked to material flows associated with the
city: absolute consumption of materials/products per category,
throughput of materials in the urban system per material category, material intensity of economic activities, and waste flows
per treatment technology.
Results show that annual material consumption in Lisbon totals 11.223 million tonnes (20 tonnes per capita), and material
outputs sum 2.149 million tonnes. Nonrenewable resources
represent almost 80% of the total material consumption, and
renewables consumption (biomass) constitutes only 18% of
the total consumption. The remaining portion is made up of
nonspecified materials.
A seemingly excessive consumption amount of nonrenewable materials compared to renewables may be the result of
a large investment in building construction and a significant
shift toward private car traveling, to the detriment of public
transportation.

More Information

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2009.00130.x

Various data points are available from this publication within our Global Urban Metabolism Dataset. Click the links below to see the datapoints that are available from this work.

Urban metabolism: Methodological Advances in Urban Material Flow Accounting Based on the Lisbon Case Study

Data

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