As wind power has spread in North America over the last several years, so has an awareness of the important role of community acceptance in determining the continued growth of this renewable energy source. Despite widespread popular support, proposals for wind farms in a number of windy locations, including mountaintops and oceans, have been derailed due to local concerns about scenic impacts and private outsider control.

Meanwhile a number of towns and cities, as well as private developers, have begun to explore another siting alternative, and wind projects and proposals have begun emerging in urban areas. Locating wind energy production in cities would seem to alleviate many scenic issues, while also moving power sources closer to their end users. However, with complex air streams, limited vacant land, and competing interests, cities present their own challenges to the harnessing of wind power.

This website explores the potential of urban wind energy in three different ways:

1. How will social acceptance of wind power in towns and cities differ from “natural”, “rural” or offshore settings? What do these opinions say about the relationships between our urban, rural, and mechanical surroundings? Based on the literature on rural wind projects, it is likely that community expectations about the urban skyline and natural landscape will be crucial in determining local support for urban wind power.

2. Case studies explore large-scale wind energy projects in Toronto (Ontario), Palmdale (California), and Lackawanna (New York), as well as the urban wind experience of Copenhagen, Denmark. This will provide a framework to understand the factors that influence local acceptance of wind power in cities. The cases also display similar physical conditions that made these sites feasible for wind power.

3. A brief description of the physical constraints to siting wind power in densely populated areas is also included. A survey of recent research on urban wind behavior explores current trends in wind measurement and urban climate modeling.

 

Jonathan Cherry

December 2007

Course 11.308 Urban Nature and City Design

Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT

 

Header photo credits: Tom Herde/Boston Globe (left), Union of Concerned Scientists (center), John McConnico/New York Times (right)