Energy Policy, Vol.59, 716-726, 2013
The potential of the infrastructural system of Hammarby Sjostad in Stockholm, Sweden
The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent the integrated infrastructural system in Hammarby Sjostad, Stockholm, also named the Hammarby Model, reduces the metabolic flows of the district, and to what extent the district is self-sufficient, in terms of generated energy. Furthermore, the paper aspires to help create a deeper understanding of the system in order to guide the implementation of similar models in other districts, creating more sustainable cities. The method has been to quantify the local mass and energy flows of the model, using the secondary energy generated within Hammarby Sjostad as basis when creating the system boundaries of the calculations. The findings demonstrate that the Hammarby Model reduces the metabolic flows of Hammarby Sjostad but that the district is far from self-sufficient in terms of secondary energy. The conclusions of the paper are that the development of integrated infrastructural systems is one way to help create more sustainable cities. However, in order to reduce metabolic flows even further, the efficiency of the system must be improved by integrating more renewable energy sources. At the same time less energy has to be used in the households. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.