Abstract

Urban infrastructure systems are high-cost urban components that provide physical and socio-economic functioning in daily life and affect livability and modernization processes. Infrastructure systems, which directly affect the urbanization and are shaped by existing urban settlements, are investments of which efficiency is achieved in the long run and directly related to the planning process. Energy networks, being constituted of natural gas and electricity, are among urban infrastructure systems. Urban energy services need to be provided in an uninterrupted, efficient and standardized way. While energy contributes to economic growth, social justice should be considered, and its impact on the environment should be minimized. The investigation of the relationship between energy infrastructure and sustainability becomes important at this point, considering the social, economic and environmental impacts of energy, which play vital roles in the continuity of the urban dynamics.

In this study, it is aimed to reveal the socio-spatial effects of the natural gas system, which is cleaner and more efficient compared to other fossil fuels, although not being a domestic and a renewable energy resource. Sustainability of natural gas has been discussed with regard to its economic, social and environmental impacts. (1) Its economic advantages or disadvantages have been examined by calculating investment costs and the annual heating cost of natural gas. Then, these costs are compared to other fuel types. (2) In social terms, the tendency of the households being fuel poor is examined by using a 10% fuel poverty indicator that seek to the households who are spending more than 10% of their income to demonstrate whether energy is distributed equitably to residents in the city and whether household can afford this energy service. (3) Finally, how natural gas consumption affects the pollutant emissions is examined, particularly during the winter season. The variation of the temporal and spatial distributions of PM₁₀ emission was compared by using the Kriging method.

Zengin, B.N. (2021). Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts of Urban Energy Systems: The Case of İzmir Natural Gas Network. Yayınlanmamış Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Ankara: ODTÜ, Şehir ve Bölge Planlama.