First step to more sustainable communities

The Institute is leading a Sustainable Utilities Infrastructure project to demonstrate the benefits of a systems approach to providing energy, waste, water, transport and information, and the potential for whole towns, cities and communities to operate more sustainably as a result. 

Focussing on the Lower Lea Valley, the Institute is investigating how to utilise the investment in the Olympic Park and development in the surrounding area to deliver the UK's leading exemplar of integrated sustainable utilities infrastructure.

 
Elements of the project will include: smart appliances, meters and grids, distributed energy generation, electric vehicle charging points and waste to energy.  New build and existing properties will be included and, as well as residential, the project will extend to industrial and commercial buildings. 

Neil Johnston, the Institute's Director of Delivery is leading on the project:
"Utilities are critical to changing the way our towns and cities work and to addressing a number of social inequalities.  We are working closely with public and private sector partners, including a number of 2012 Olympic Sustainability partners, to identify innovative projects in the Lower Lea Valley which will demonstrate what can be achieved on carbon emissions, energy costs, fuel poverty and health."

The phase 1 report of the Sustainable Utilities Infrastructure project, which included a consolidated inventory detailing current and future utilities supply and demand in the Lower Lea Valley, has identified six priority project areas for delivery in the next five years.  The executive summary report is now available on the Institute's website.  Click here to download.

The Sustainable Utilities Infrastructure project is being delivered by the Institute on behalf of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) who have funded the project, and the Greater London Authority, the London Development Agency and the Olympic Park Legacy Company.