Mapping material stocks of buildings and mobility infrastructure in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

作者：Dominik Wiedenhofer, Franz Schug, H.L. Gauch, Maud Lanau, Michał Drewniok, André Baumgart, Doris Virág, Harry Watt, André Cabrera Serrenho, Danielle Densley Tingley, Helmut Haberl, David Frantz · 发表于：Resources Conservation and Recycling · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107630 · 被引用次数：22 · 研究领域：Land Use and Ecosystem Services、Impact of Light on Environment and Health、Urban Transport and Accessibility

Understanding the size and spatial distribution of material stocks is crucial for sustainable resource management and climate change mitigation. This study presents high-resolution maps of buildings and mobility infrastructure stocks for the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland (IRL) at 10 m, combining satellite-based Earth observations, OpenStreetMaps, and material intensities research. Stocks in the UK and IRL amount to 19.8 Gigatons or 279 tons/cap, predominantly aggregate, concrete and bricks, as well as various metals and timber. Building stocks per capita are surprisingly similar across medium to high population density, with only the lowest population densities having substantially larger per capita stocks. Infrastructure stocks per capita decrease with higher population density. Interestingly, for a given building stock within an area, infrastructure stocks are substantially larger in IRL than in the UK. These maps can provide useful insights for sustainable urban planning and advancing a circular economy.