clean tech corporate living

This is a city of clean and efficient production, a model for the application of circular economy principles and clean-tech innovation.

Large, for-profit companies with the resources to invest in innovation have become the primary actors in the economy. Significant decarbonisation of the city has been achieved principally through
a focus on changing production systems and product design and the adoption of low-carbon clean technologies, with only minimal changes in consumption patterns (where necessary) to accommodate the new production and product systems.

The private sector owns and manages most of the city infrastructure from energy supply to transport and building technologies to water; even biodiversity and most green spaces within the city are privately owned (with revenue derived from charging for access and government payments for ecosystem services delivered).

The 80% reduction in greenhouse emissions has been achieved through decarbonisation of the electricity system, substitution of electricity for other forms of renewable energy (e.g. wind, solar PV), high energy efficient products and a substantial increase in the privately owned service sectors. Electricity is now more than 98% renewable even though consumption of electricity has grown. Renewable energy generation involves rooftop PV, covering of most shade structures (e.g. for vehicle parking) and surface PV cladding of buildings, (with many facades incorporating with micro wind generation). There are small scale wind generators in the lower density suburbs and building level and community level battery storage. However most electricity still comes from large-scale wind, solar and geothermal plants and diverse storage systems beyond the city boundaries.

Technology is focused on delivering highly energy efficient products and related services. The services sector is large including, for example, a diverse range of products for the efficient management of buildings, energy, food, water, transport and waste from a carbon emissions perspective. Transport involves a mix of private vehicles, privately owned and run public transport and competing smart driverless taxi pods. The majority of all transport is electric powered, although biofuels and hydrogen is also used for larger freight vehicles and buses.

High bandwidth communication has seen the creation of small business hubs for information based service businesses across the suburbs as well as local telework centres. Competing private information networks and sensing systems (including a huge investment in the Internet of Things) has helped to create a city that is smart and efficient. The sale of privately held data (between businesses and from corporations to government) is now a significant contribution to GDP.

Corporate competition in smart city technologies is a feature of life for citizens as multiple services from different companies compete to build their exclusive customer base. This extends to the delivery of services and citizens are increasingly customers for platforms of provision, choosing between corporations who provide for their needs in energy, water, food, using, health, transport and even access to public spaces and recreation etc.

Robots and automation have reduced labour costs in many areas of production and service provision. Within the mix of products and services, the economic identity of the city is strongly consumerist, profit oriented and individualistic, with wealth, status and economic growth as a societal priority. However, there is a continued shift towards casualised labour with decreasing job security and the proportion of citizens in full-time work. Inequality of income, wealth and power (and the proportion of citizens on welfare) is large, tempered only by the need to suppress social unrest.

Government provides essential infrastructure for corporate activity. Regulatory oversight and control of emission reduction targets, corruption and integrity in the market, and the maintenance of an independent judicial system, has emerged from a long period of political contestation to an ‘accord’ that has now achieved a period of stability. Tax regimes (particularly corporate and consumption taxes) have likewise established a relative level of bi-partisan support.