IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolec/v167y2020ics0921800919305701.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Metabolic relationships between cities and hinterland: a political-industrial ecology of energy metabolism of Saint-Nazaire metropolitan and port area (France)

Author

Listed:
  • Bahers, Jean-Baptiste
  • Tanguy, Audrey
  • Pincetl, Stephanie

Abstract

Research on urban metabolism (UM) focuses on cities' material and energy systems by identifying paths and transformation processes of all kinds of flows in urban contexts. In particular, scientific studies aim to trace the origin and destination of materials, energy, water, emissions and waste flows in order to understand relationships between cities and other spatial areas (hinterlands) that lead to political, social and environment consequences. This research paper aims to analyze complex power relationships between cities and their hinterlands. In particular, the objective is to understand the nature of these socio-material links. Are they based on synergies and cooperation, or, on the contrary, on unbalanced power and conflicts? We propose an approach which combines methodologies with the tools of Energy Flow Analysis (EFA) and semi-structured interviews, in order to develop a “political-industrial ecology” of energy metabolism (Breetz 2017; Cousins and Newell 2015). We have studied the Saint-Nazaire metropolitan area, which is constituted by an urban area and a port zone. This harbor consists in a complex network of highly energy-intensive industrial sites operating in the steel, petrochemical and agri-food industries. Based on an analysis of energy flows, institutional policies and professional practices, we have identified several situations of metabolic links that exist simultaneously. In conclusion, the metabolic relationships' framework is useful to understand how the “hinterlands-city” relationships shape and are shaped by the city's metabolism.

Suggested Citation

  • Bahers, Jean-Baptiste & Tanguy, Audrey & Pincetl, Stephanie, 2020. "Metabolic relationships between cities and hinterland: a political-industrial ecology of energy metabolism of Saint-Nazaire metropolitan and port area (France)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:167:y:2020:i:c:s0921800919305701
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106447
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800919305701
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106447?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Persson, Urban & Werner, Sven, 2012. "District heating in sequential energy supply," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 123-131.
    2. Vanesa Castán Broto & Adriana Allen & Elizabeth Rapoport, 2012. "Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Urban Metabolism," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 16(6), pages 851-861, December.
    3. Wilby, Mark Richard & Rodríguez González, Ana Belén & Vinagre Díaz, Juan José, 2014. "Empirical and dynamic primary energy factors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 771-779.
    4. Duro, Juan Antonio & Schaffartzik, Anke & Krausmann, Fridolin, 2018. "Metabolic Inequality and Its Impact on Efficient Contraction and Convergence of International Material Resource Use," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 430-440.
    5. Harjanne, Atte & Korhonen, Janne M., 2019. "Abandoning the concept of renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 330-340.
    6. Jean‐Baptiste Bahers & Sabine Barles & Mathieu Durand, 2019. "Urban Metabolism of Intermediate Cities: The Material Flow Analysis, Hinterlands and the Logistics‐Hub Function of Rennes and Le Mans (France)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 23(3), pages 686-698, June.
    7. Rick M A Hollen & Frans A J van den Bosch & Henk W Volberda, 2015. "Strategic levers of port authorities for industrial ecosystem development," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 17(1), pages 79-96, March.
    8. Baka, Jennifer & Bailis, Robert, 2014. "Wasteland energy-scapes: A comparative energy flow analysis of India's biofuel and biomass economies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 8-17.
    9. Christopher Kennedy & Daniel Hoornweg, 2012. "Mainstreaming Urban Metabolism," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 16(6), pages 780-782, December.
    10. Rick Bosman & Derk Loorbach & Jan Rotmans & Roel Van Raak, 2018. "Carbon Lock-Out: Leading the Fossil Port of Rotterdam into Transition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-20, July.
    11. John, Beatrice & Luederitz, Christopher & Lang, Daniel J. & von Wehrden, Henrik, 2019. "Toward Sustainable Urban Metabolisms. From System Understanding to System Transformation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 402-414.
    12. Yalçın-Riollet, Melike & Garabuau-Moussaoui, Isabelle & Szuba, Mathilde, 2014. "Energy autonomy in Le Mené: A French case of grassroots innovation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 347-355.
    13. Harriet Bulkeley & Vanesa Castán Broto & Anne Maassen, 2014. "Low-carbon Transitions and the Reconfiguration of Urban Infrastructure," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(7), pages 1471-1486, May.
    14. Frank Schiller & Alexandra Penn & Angela Druckman & Lauren Basson & Kate Royston, 2014. "Exploring Space, Exploiting Opportunities," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 18(6), pages 792-798, December.
    15. Neil Brenner, 2009. "What is critical urban theory?," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2-3), pages 198-207, June.
    16. Geng, Yong & Liu, Ye & Liu, Dan & Zhao, Hengxin & Xue, Bing, 2011. "Regional societal and ecosystem metabolism analysis in China: A multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism(MSIASM) approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 4799-4808.
    17. Christopher Kennedy & John Cuddihy & Joshua Engel‐Yan, 2007. "The Changing Metabolism of Cities," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 11(2), pages 43-59, April.
    18. Marian R. Chertow, 2007. "“Uncovering” Industrial Symbiosis," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 11(1), pages 11-30, January.
    19. Paul Klugman Currie & Josephine Kaviti Musango, 2017. "African Urbanization: Assimilating Urban Metabolism into Sustainability Discourse and Practice," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(5), pages 1262-1276, October.
    20. Ramos-Martin, Jesus & Giampietro, Mario & Mayumi, Kozo, 2007. "On China's exosomatic energy metabolism: An application of multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism (MSIASM)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 174-191, June.
    21. Engelken, Maximilian & Römer, Benedikt & Drescher, Marcus & Welpe, Isabell, 2016. "Transforming the energy system: Why municipalities strive for energy self-sufficiency," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 365-377.
    22. McKenna, Russell, 2018. "The double-edged sword of decentralized energy autonomy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 747-750.
    23. Cyria Emelianoff, 2014. "Local Energy Transition and Multilevel Climate Governance: The Contrasted Experiences of Two Pioneer Cities (Hanover, Germany, and Växjö, Sweden)," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(7), pages 1378-1393, May.
    24. Rae, Callum & Bradley, Fiona, 2012. "Energy autonomy in sustainable communities—A review of key issues," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(9), pages 6497-6506.
    25. Zhang, Yan & Li, Yanxian & Zheng, Hongmei, 2017. "Ecological network analysis of energy metabolism in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) urban agglomeration," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 351(C), pages 51-62.
    26. Ilse M. Voskamp & Sven Stremke & Marc Spiller & Daniela Perrotti & Jan Peter Hoek & Huub H. M. Rijnaarts, 2017. "Enhanced Performance of the Eurostat Method for Comprehensive Assessment of Urban Metabolism: A Material Flow Analysis of Amsterdam," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(4), pages 887-902, August.
    27. Baka, Jennifer & Bailis, Robert, 2014. "Wasteland energy-scapes: a comparative energy flow analysis of India's biofuel and biomass economies," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59896, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    28. Zhang, Yan & Zheng, Hongmei & Fath, Brian D., 2014. "Analysis of the energy metabolism of urban socioeconomic sectors and the associated carbon footprints: Model development and a case study for Beijing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 540-551.
    29. Sabine Barles, 2009. "Urban Metabolism of Paris and Its Region," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 13(6), pages 898-913, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Akvilė Feiferytė-Skirienė & Žaneta Stasiškienė, 2021. "Seeking Circularity: Circular Urban Metabolism in the Context of Industrial Symbiosis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-31, August.
    2. Benedikt Walker, 2022. "A TERRITORIAL PERSPECTIVE ON URBAN AND REGIONAL ENERGY TRANSITIONS: Shifting Power Densities in the Berlin‐Brandenburg Region," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(5), pages 766-783, September.
    3. Jean-Baptiste Bahers & Paula Higuera & Anne Ventura & Nicolas Antheaume, 2020. "The “Metal-Energy-Construction Mineral” Nexus in the Island Metabolism: The Case of the Extractive Economy of New Caledonia," Post-Print hal-02507504, HAL.
    4. Peter W. de Langen & Henrik Sornn-Friese & James Hallworth, 2020. "The Role of Port Development Companies in Transitioning the Port Business Ecosystem; The Case of Port of Amsterdam’s Circular Activities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-16, May.
    5. Antoine Fontaine & Laurence Rocher, 2023. "Cities looking for waste heat: The dilemmas of energy and industry nexuses in French metropolitan areas," Post-Print hal-04156338, HAL.
    6. Jean-Baptiste Bahers & Paula Higuera & Anne Ventura & Nicolas Antheaume, 2020. "The “Metal-Energy-Construction Mineral” Nexus in the Island Metabolism: The Case of the Extractive Economy of New Caledonia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    7. Aleksandra Lewandowska & Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk & Krzysztof Rogatka & Tomasz Starczewski, 2020. "Smart Energy in a Smart City: Utopia or Reality? Evidence from Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, November.
    8. Chen, Lei & Xu, Linyu & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario & Yang, Zhifeng, 2021. "Residential energy metabolic patterns in China: A study of the urbanization process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PA).
    9. Ding, Jian & Liu, Baoliu & Shao, Xuefeng, 2022. "Spatial effects of industrial synergistic agglomeration and regional green development efficiency: Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    10. Li, Xuemei & Wu, Xinran & Zhao, Yufeng, 2023. "Research and application of multi-variable grey optimization model with interactive effects in marine emerging industries prediction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    11. Antoine Fontaine & Laurence Rocher, 2024. "Cities looking for waste heat: The dilemmas of energy and industry nexuses in French metropolitan areas," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(2), pages 254-272, February.
    12. Pauline Marty & Sabrina Dermine-Brullot & Sophie Madelrieux & Julie Fleuet & Philippe Lescoat, 2021. "Transformation of socioeconomic metabolism due to development of the bioeconomy: the case of northern Aube (France)," Post-Print hal-03263050, HAL.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniela Perrotti & Sven Stremke, 2020. "Can urban metabolism models advance green infrastructure planning? Insights from ecosystem services research," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(4), pages 678-694, May.
    2. Louise Guibrunet & Araceli Sánchez Jiménez, 2023. "The current and potential role of urban metabolism studies to analyze the role of food in urban sustainability," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(1), pages 196-209, February.
    3. Juntunen, Jouni K. & Martiskainen, Mari, 2021. "Improving understanding of energy autonomy: A systematic review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    4. Chen, Lei & Xu, Linyu & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario & Yang, Zhifeng, 2021. "Residential energy metabolic patterns in China: A study of the urbanization process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PA).
    5. Juanjo Galan & Daniela Perrotti, 2019. "Incorporating Metabolic Thinking into Regional Planning: The Case of the Sierra Calderona Strategic Plan," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(1), pages 152-171.
    6. Kühnbach, Matthias & Pisula, Stefan & Bekk, Anke & Weidlich, Anke, 2020. "How much energy autonomy can decentralised photovoltaic generation provide? A case study for Southern Germany," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    7. Liu, Xiuli & Guo, Pibin & Yue, Xiaohang & Qi, Xiaoyan & Guo, Shufeng & Zhou, Xijun, 2021. "Measuring metabolic efficiency of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration: A slacks-based measures method," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    8. Fitiwi, Desta Z. & Lynch, Muireann & Bertsch, Valentin, 2020. "Power system impacts of community acceptance policies for renewable energy deployment under storage cost uncertainty," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 893-912.
    9. Mohammad Taleghani & Azadeh Montazami & Daniela Perrotti, 2020. "Learning to Chill: The Role of Design Schools and Professional Training to Improve Urban Climate and Urban Metabolism," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-14, May.
    10. Weinand, J.M. & McKenna, R. & Fichtner, W., 2019. "Developing a municipality typology for modelling decentralised energy systems," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 75-96.
    11. David N. Bristow & Eugene A. Mohareb, 2020. "From the urban metabolism to the urban immune system," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(2), pages 300-312, April.
    12. Yanxian Li & Jiawen Wang & Dan Xian & Yan Zhang & Xiangyi Yu, 2021. "Regional consumption, material flows, and their driving forces: A case study of China's Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (Jing–Jin–Ji) urban agglomeration," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(3), pages 751-764, June.
    13. Lee, Susan E. & Braithwaite, Peter & Leach, Joanne M. & Rogers, Chris D.F., 2016. "A comparison of energy systems in Birmingham, UK, with Masdar City, an embryonic city in Abu Dhabi Emirate," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1299-1309.
    14. Jean-Baptiste Bahers & Paula Higuera & Anne Ventura & Nicolas Antheaume, 2020. "The “Metal-Energy-Construction Mineral” Nexus in the Island Metabolism: The Case of the Extractive Economy of New Caledonia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    15. Xiaoyue Wang & Shuyao Wu & Shuangcheng Li, 2017. "Urban Metabolism of Three Cities in Jing-Jin-Ji Urban Agglomeration, China: Using the MuSIASEM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-21, August.
    16. Schumacher, K. & Krones, F. & McKenna, R. & Schultmann, F., 2019. "Public acceptance of renewable energies and energy autonomy: A comparative study in the French, German and Swiss Upper Rhine region," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 315-332.
    17. Yang, Dewei & Kao, William Tze Ming & Zhang, Guoqin & Zhang, Nanyang, 2014. "Evaluating spatiotemporal differences and sustainability of Xiamen urban metabolism using emergy synthesis," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 272(C), pages 40-48.
    18. Weinand, Jann Michael & Scheller, Fabian & McKenna, Russell, 2020. "Reviewing energy system modelling of decentralized energy autonomy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    19. Brodnicke, Linda & Gabrielli, Paolo & Sansavini, Giovanni, 2023. "Impact of policies on residential multi-energy systems for consumers and prosumers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).
    20. Thomas Elliot & Javier Babí Almenar & Samuel Niza & Vânia Proença & Benedetto Rugani, 2019. "Pathways to Modelling Ecosystem Services within an Urban Metabolism Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:167:y:2020:i:c:s0921800919305701. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.