Energy-Saving and Urban Planning: An Application of Integrated Spatial and Statistical Analyses to Naples

The worldwide push to promote sustainability has placed the energy transition as an action priority, especially considering the impacts of climate change and the current energy crisis. Despite the widespread acceptance that local action is essential for achieving low-carbon cities that save non-renewable energy sources, a lack of integration between energy-saving solutions and urban planning continues to hinder the work of local decision-makers, technicians, and practitioners. This study integrates statistics and spatial analysis techniques to investigate the relationships between urban characteristics and residential energy consumption. The study is a first step of wider research which employs a GIS-based methodology on an urban scale to support decision-makers in identifying the most effective urban areas and fields of intervention to reduce urban energy footprint in the face of climate challenges and emerging geopolitical scenarios related to energy supply. The spatial and statistical analysis was based on variables related to key urban characteristics, including socio-economic, physical, functional, and environmental factors. The research was conducted in the city of Naples, Italy, and the results indicate that the GWR methodology differently explains residential energy consumption values according to the urban context. The outcomes support local decision-makers defining a knowledge frame of urban context in order to identify energy saving interventions.