IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i7p3027-d343548.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Energy Justice in Slum Rehabilitation Housing: An Empirical Exploration of Built Environment Effects on Socio-Cultural Energy Demand

Author

Listed:
  • Ramit Debnath

    (Behaviour and Building Performance Group, The Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK
    Energy Policy Research Group, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1AG, UK)

  • Gianna Monteiro Farias Simoes

    (Department of Architecture and Urbanism, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa PB 58051-900, Brazil)

  • Ronita Bardhan

    (Behaviour and Building Performance Group, The Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK)

  • Solange Maria Leder

    (Department of Architecture and Urbanism, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa PB 58051-900, Brazil)

  • Roberto Lamberts

    (Laboratory of Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC 88040-900, Brazil)

  • Minna Sunikka-Blank

    (Behaviour and Building Performance Group, The Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK)

Abstract

The interaction of energy and buildings institutes a complex socio-technical system that influences the eudemonic well-being of the occupants. Understanding these drivers become even more necessary in impoverished areas where occupants struggle to avail essential energy services. The literature indicates that energy injustice can be addressed through provisioning of comfort, cleanliness, and convenience (3Cs) as critical cultural energy services in low-income areas. This study investigates the socio-architectural influence for slum rehabilitation housing (SRH) on cultural energy services that can promote distributive justice. The methodology adopts an empirical route using data from 200 household surveys from SRH in Mumbai, India, and João Pessoa, Brazil. A model between the 3Cs and socio-architectural elements was established using Firth’s binary logistic regression. The survey results showed that the SRH in Brazil had twice the appliance ownership as compared to the Mumbai SRH. There were distinct energy service preferences in the study areas, despite common poverty burdens. The empirical results showed that the lack of socio-architectural design elements like open spaces, privacy, and walkability in the study areas demanded specific comfort and convenience appliances as a counter-response. A critical policy implication drawn was on the need for socio-architectural inclusive energy planning for distributive justice in poverty. Mitigating rising energy demand through appropriate built environment design of slum rehabilitation housing can contribute to fulfilling the UN’s SDG 7 (clean and affordable energy) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities) goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Ramit Debnath & Gianna Monteiro Farias Simoes & Ronita Bardhan & Solange Maria Leder & Roberto Lamberts & Minna Sunikka-Blank, 2020. "Energy Justice in Slum Rehabilitation Housing: An Empirical Exploration of Built Environment Effects on Socio-Cultural Energy Demand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-27, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:7:p:3027-:d:343548
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/7/3027/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/7/3027/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ghisi, Enedir & Gosch, Samuel & Lamberts, Roberto, 2007. "Electricity end-uses in the residential sector of Brazil," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 4107-4120, August.
    2. Bhide, Anjali & Monroy, Carlos Rodríguez, 2011. "Energy poverty: A special focus on energy poverty in India and renewable energy technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 1057-1066, February.
    3. Debnath, Ramit & Bardhan, Ronita & Sunikka-Blank, Minna, 2019. "How does slum rehabilitation influence appliance ownership? A structural model of non-income drivers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 418-428.
    4. Choumert-Nkolo, Johanna & Combes Motel, Pascale & Le Roux, Leonard, 2019. "Stacking up the ladder: A panel data analysis of Tanzanian household energy choices," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 222-235.
    5. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2011. "Conceptualizing urban household energy use: Climbing the "Energy Services Ladder"," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1659-1668, March.
    6. Paul Chatterton, 2013. "Towards an Agenda for Post-carbon Cities: Lessons from Lilac, the UK's First Ecological, Affordable Cohousing Community," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5), pages 1654-1674, September.
    7. Day, Rosie & Walker, Gordon & Simcock, Neil, 2016. "Conceptualising energy use and energy poverty using a capabilities framework," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 255-264.
    8. Ekholm, Tommi & Krey, Volker & Pachauri, Shonali & Riahi, Keywan, 2010. "Determinants of household energy consumption in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 5696-5707, October.
    9. Kowsari, Reza & Zerriffi, Hisham, 2011. "Three dimensional energy profile:," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7505-7517.
    10. Samarakoon, Shanil, 2019. "A justice and wellbeing centered framework for analysing energy poverty in the Global South," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    11. Bangkim Kshetrimayum & Ronita Bardhan & Tetsu Kubota, 2020. "Factors Affecting Residential Satisfaction in Slum Rehabilitation Housing in Mumbai," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, March.
    12. Sowmya Dhanaraj & Vidya Mahambare & Poonam Munjal, 2018. "From Income to Household Welfare: Lessons from Refrigerator Ownership in India," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 16(2), pages 573-588, June.
    13. Cabeza, Luisa F. & Urge-Vorsatz, Diana & McNeil, Michael A. & Barreneche, Camila & Serrano, Susana, 2014. "Investigating greenhouse challenge from growing trends of electricity consumption through home appliances in buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 188-193.
    14. Tiwari, Piyush, 2000. "Architectural, Demographic, and Economic Causes of Electricity Consumption in Bombay," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 81-98, January.
    15. Daioglou, Vassilis & van Ruijven, Bas J. & van Vuuren, Detlef P., 2012. "Model projections for household energy use in developing countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 601-615.
    16. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Dworkin, Michael H., 2015. "Energy justice: Conceptual insights and practical applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 435-444.
    17. van der Kroon, Bianca & Brouwer, Roy & van Beukering, Pieter J.H., 2013. "The energy ladder: Theoretical myth or empirical truth? Results from a meta-analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 504-513.
    18. Bev Wilson & Arnab Chakraborty, 2013. "The Environmental Impacts of Sprawl: Emergent Themes from the Past Decade of Planning Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(8), pages 1-26, August.
    19. Heffron, Raphael J. & McCauley, Darren & de Rubens, Gerardo Zarazua, 2018. "Balancing the energy trilemma through the Energy Justice Metric," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 1191-1201.
    20. Paul Jones, 2017. "Formalizing the Informal: Understanding the Position of Informal Settlements and Slums in Sustainable Urbanization Policies and Strategies in Bandung, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-27, August.
    21. Shan Zhou & Douglas S. Noonan, 2019. "Justice Implications of Clean Energy Policies and Programs in the United States: A Theoretical and Empirical Exploration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, February.
    22. Ronald U. Mendoza, 2011. "Why do the poor pay more? Exploring the poverty penalty concept," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(1), pages 1-28, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Muza, O. & Debnath, R., 2020. "Socially inclusive renewable energy transition in sub-Saharan Africa: A social shaping of technology analysis of appliance uptake in Rwanda," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2055, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    2. Muza, Olivia & Debnath, Ramit, 2021. "Disruptive innovation for inclusive renewable policy in sub-Saharan Africa: A social shaping of technology analysis of appliance uptake in Rwanda," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 896-912.
    3. Debnath, R. & Bardhan, R. & Darby, S. & Mohaddes, K. & Sunikka-Blank, M. & Coelho, A C V. & Isa, A., 2020. "A deep-narrative analysis of energy cultures in slum rehabilitation housing of Abuja, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro for just policy design," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 20101, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    4. Debnath, R. & Darby, S. & Bardhan, R. & Mohaddes, K. & Sunikka-Blank, M., 2020. "Grounded reality meets machine learning: A deep-narrative analysis framework for energy policy research," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2062, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    5. Ariadna Reyes, 2021. "Revealing the Contribution of Informal Settlements to Climate Change Mitigation in Latin America: A Case Study of Isidro Fabela, Mexico City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, November.
    6. Ali, Muez & Couto, Lilia Caiado & Unsworth, Samuel & Debnath, Ramit, 2023. "Bridging the divide in energy policy research: Empirical evidence from global collaborative networks," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Debnath, Ramit & Bardhan, Ronita & Sunikka-Blank, Minna, 2019. "How does slum rehabilitation influence appliance ownership? A structural model of non-income drivers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 418-428.
    2. Debnath, R. & Bardhan, R. & Darby, S. & Mohaddes, K. & Sunikka-Blank, M. & Coelho, A C V. & Isa, A., 2020. "A deep-narrative analysis of energy cultures in slum rehabilitation housing of Abuja, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro for just policy design," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 20101, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    3. Neto-Bradley, André Paul & Choudhary, Ruchi & Bazaz, Amir, 2020. "Slipping through the net: Can data science approaches help target clean cooking policy interventions?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    4. Mohammad Soltani & Omeid Rahmani & Amin Beiranvand Pour & Yousef Ghaderpour & Ibrahim Ngah & Siti Hajar Misnan, 2019. "Determinants of Variation in Household Energy Choice and Consumption: Case from Mahabad City, Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-20, September.
    5. Muza, Olivia & Debnath, Ramit, 2021. "Disruptive innovation for inclusive renewable policy in sub-Saharan Africa: A social shaping of technology analysis of appliance uptake in Rwanda," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 896-912.
    6. Ahmed Moustapha Mfokeu & Elie Virgile Chrysostome & Jean-Pierre Gueyie & Olivier Ebenezer Mun Ngapna, 2023. "Consumer Motivation behind the Use of Ecological Charcoal in Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, January.
    7. Olabisi, Michael & Tschirley, David L. & Nyange, David & Awokuse, Titus, 2019. "Energy demand substitution from biomass to imported kerosene: Evidence from Tanzania," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 243-252.
    8. Pilar Murias & Beatriz Valcárcel-Aguiar & Rosa María Regueiro-Ferreira, 2020. "A Territorial Estimate for Household Energy Vulnerability: An Application for Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-21, July.
    9. Muller, Christophe & Yan, Huijie, 2018. "Household fuel use in developing countries: Review of theory and evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 429-439.
    10. Gordon, Joel A. & Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Nabavi, Seyed Ali, 2022. "Beyond the triangle of renewable energy acceptance: The five dimensions of domestic hydrogen acceptance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    11. Gaur, Varun, 2018. "Determinants of household’s modern cooking and lighting energy transition in rural India – Exploring household’s activities and its interactions with other households," Discussion Papers 271347, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    12. Joshi, Janak & Bohara, Alok K., 2017. "Household preferences for cooking fuels and inter-fuel substitutions: Unlocking the modern fuels in the Nepalese household," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 507-523.
    13. Koirala, Dhiroj Prasad & Acharya, Bikram, 2022. "Households’ fuel choices in the context of a decade-long load-shedding problem in Nepal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    14. Zhu, Xiaodong & Zhu, Zheng & Zhu, Bangzhu & Wang, Ping, 2022. "The determinants of energy choice for household cooking in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    15. Poblete-Cazenave, Miguel & Pachauri, Shonali, 2018. "A structural model of cooking fuel choices in developing countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 449-463.
    16. Korkeakoski Mika & Mentula Minna & Vähäkari Noora & Luukkanen Jyrki & Kaivo-oja Jari & Alexeeva Anna & Chea Eliyan & Va Dany & Kallio Maarit & Hogarth Nicholas, 2021. "Situation analysis of energy use and consumption in Cambodia: household access to energy," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(12), pages 18631-18655, December.
    17. Kileber, Solange & Parente, Virginia, 2015. "Diversifying the Brazilian electricity mix: Income level, the endowment effect, and governance capacity," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1180-1189.
    18. Dilip Khatiwada & Pallav Purohit & Emmanuel Kofi Ackom, 2019. "Mapping Bioenergy Supply and Demand in Selected Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Exploratory Assessment of Modern Bioenergy’s Contribution to SDG7," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-29, December.
    19. Abre-Rehmat Qurat-ul-Ann & Faisal Mehmood Mirza, 2021. "Determinants of multidimensional energy poverty in Pakistan: a household level analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 12366-12410, August.
    20. Fydess Khundi-Mkomba, 2021. "Are Urban Rwandan Households using Modern Energy Sources? An Exploration of Cooking Fuel Choices," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(2), pages 325-332.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:7:p:3027-:d:343548. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.