GEMDev - Grounded Energy Modelling for Equitable Urban Development in the Global South, launched in Ahmedabad

GEMDev - Grounded Energy Modelling for Equitable Urban Development in the Global South was launched in Ahmedabad on 18th February 2021. GEMDev is a partnership between Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources, UCL, Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL, CEPT Research and Development Foundation, Foro Ciudades Para la Vida, CIDAP, CENCA, SEA, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Mahila Housing Sewa Trust and Bentley Systems.

GEMDev is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The project began in April 2020 and will run for 36 months, ending in 2023.

GEMDev will contribute towards inclusive energy futures and dignified housing in the global South. In so doing, it will support progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 7 on energy and 11 on sustainable cities and communities. The project takes a transdisciplinary approach to investigate energy practices within human settlements that remain at the margins of affordable, reliable, and safe forms of energy services. The project aims to investigate the connections between energy access, comfort, and housing, embedded within the existing governance structures in Lima (Perú) and Ahmedabad (India).

By co-producing knowledge with inhabitants about energy practices, this project seeks to inform data-driven tools such as Urban Building Energy Models (UBEMs), which are increasingly being used for development planning in the global South. Through fostering meaningful exchange between different factors and forms of knowledge, GEMDev aims to inform policy and actions for sustainable and equitable futures.