Big Coupled Data for Sustainable Urban Systems: Examples from Los Angeles

The webinar will demonstrate the importance of empirical data for urban transformation. For cities to reduce their resource use, we need to know how resource flows are used in cities, and their supply chain impacts. Guided by the concepts of “urban metabolism,” Dr. Pincetl’s research attempts to develop the types of data necessary for understanding cities and their dependencies on the resources of nature.

In an era where cities are actively developing urban sustainability goals, too often, the right kinds of “Big Data” are not adequately gathered to guide new programs and policies. Dr. Stephanie Pincetl, Director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA, is using Big Data to better understand building energy use and water management in Los Angeles County to improve the sustainability of urban systems.