Urban Energy Innovation Index for Latin American Cities

Abstract

Innovative urban energy solutions are an important component of the energy transition and highly relevant to the development of sustainable and smart cities. In Latin America, where the urbanization rates are one of the highest globally, such solutions can have a major impact on the sustainable urban development. Benchmarking the capabilities of cities to implement innovative solutions requires an integrated approach. In this work, a composite indicator, the Urban Energy Innovation Index, is developed and applied with focus on Latin American cities. Three key areas are analyzed and evaluated: (1) urban structure and infrastructure, (2) urban governance and local environment, and (3) energy and sustainability. For each key area, eight indicators and several sub-indicators have been defined by consulting existing indices, publicly available data and local experts. Guadalajara (Mexico), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Bogota (Colombia) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) were assessed and compared using the developed index. The Urban Energy Innovation Index is a useful tool to identify factors that could facilitate or hinder the implementation of innovative urban energy solutions. Moreover, a comparison on the Latin American level pinpoints local solutions suitable to the common cultural context.