Housing, being the largely privatized and personalized sector that it is, seems less apt for large-scale smart innovation than inherently more public issues like public transportation, recreational space, and municipal navigability. Looking a bit\u00a0deeper reveals the possibilities in housing, from energy efficiency to streamlined affordable housing systems, where\u00a0Portland’s city council can make meaningful changes. Here are five suggestions:<\/p>\n
1. An app for finding and giving feedback on Portland’s new affordable housing developments (mentioned here<\/a>)<\/p>\n 2. Ocean-based geothermal heating in new housing developments (mentioned here<\/a>)<\/p>\n 3. An app for snow parking bans. Google maps directions\u00a0to open parking lots and alerts about ban hours.<\/p>\n 4. A shuttle system for transporting people home from their cars and vice versa during snow parking bans.<\/p>\n 5. Energy Awareness Services<\/a> in new housing developments to help residents visualize their emissions and consumption statistics.<\/p>\n I believe that the most exciting possibilities in housing innovation lie in\u00a0the economic and environmental benefits of alternative energy and energy consciousness. Just across Casco Bay,\u00a0Southern Maine Community College in South Portland is an\u00a0exemplar of these benefits, having installed a sea water heat exchange system in the bay to power the HVAC in their lighthouse. [1] The upcoming Munjoy Street development [2], for example, could incorporate this system for heating\/cooling and introduce Energy Awareness Services to create a culture of conservation while saving money for all new tenants.[3] Additionally, my first app suggestion would work well to gather new residents’ feedback about the HVAC system. This trifecta of innovation would make new developments affordable, eco-friendly, and open-data.<\/p>\n _______________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0Beatty, Scott. “Harnessing Seawater: An Innovative Thermal Exchange HVAC System.” AASHE. May 17, 2013. Accessed September 25, 2014. http:\/\/www.aashe.org\/resources\/case-studies\/harnessing-seawater-innovative-thermal-exchange-hvac-system.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0“Housing and Community Development Committee Agenda.” Portland, Maine. September 24, 2014. Accessed September 25, 2014. http:\/\/portlandmaine.gov\/AgendaCenter\/ViewFile\/Agenda\/09242014-626?html=true.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0“Objectives.” ESESH. Accessed September 25, 2014. http:\/\/esesh.eu\/project\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Housing, being the largely privatized and personalized sector that it is, seems less apt for large-scale smart innovation than inherently more public issues like public transportation, recreational space, and municipal navigability. Looking a bit\u00a0deeper reveals the possibilities in housing, from energy efficiency to streamlined affordable housing systems, where\u00a0Portland’s city council can make meaningful changes. Here … Continue reading Smart Housing Suggestions for a More Livable Portland<\/span>