This paper discusses how a Geodesign method facilitates a process of managing a closed-loop urban system through algae cultivation by turning urban waste streams into renewable energy. The method informs six stages of processes for designing an algae-powered urban system: objective model, representational model, performance model, scenario model, evaluation model and decision model. Three sites in Atlanta were tested to explore to what extent the system performance can move toward a “net-zero” urban environment. The results show that the three neighborhoods have the highest potential to reach 12–18% of the total building energy demand met by the energy production in the algae system in the extreme scenario. Other renewable energy resources need to be added and more efforts of building energy reduction need to be made to move the performance of urban system closer to “net-zero”.

本文讨论了Geodesign方法如何通过将城市废物流转化为可再生能源来促进通过藻类种植管理闭环城市系统的过程。该方法为藻类驱动的城市系统设计提供了六个阶段的过程：目标模型，代表性模型，绩效模型，情景模型，评估模型和决策模型。对亚特兰大的三个站点进行了测试，以探索系统性能在多大程度上可以实现“零网络”城市环境。结果表明，在极端情况下，这三个社区最有潜力达到藻类系统中能源生产所满足的建筑总能源需求的12–18％。