Alejandro Lara Allende

Doctor of Philosophy candidate

Urban Analytics, Planning and Design

Alejandro Lara Allende
Alejandro Lara Allende

Biography

Alejandro Lara Allende is a qualified Urban Planner (MUP) and Economist (BSc Hons). His research focuses on urban environmental performance, life cycle assessment, urban mining, resource circularity and planning policy. His teaching experience includes courses related to urban and spatial analytics the University of Melbourne. He completed his Master of Urban Planning at the Melbourne School of Design in 2019, and his thesis on life cycle analysis of green developments received the people's choice award at the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®️) competition. Alejandro has previously worked as an analyst and consultant for the Mexican Central Bank, the Australian Rail Track Corporation and co-founded UP Global (integrated planning and design consultancy).

Research Publications:

Lara Allende, A., & Stephan, A. (2022). Life cycle embodied, operational and mobility-related energy and greenhouse gas emissions analysis of a green development in Melbourne, Australia. Applied Energy, 305, 117886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117886

Lara Allende, A., Stephan, A., & Crawford, R. H. (2020). The life cycle embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions of an Australian housing development: comparing 1997 and 2019 hybrid life cycle inventory data. 54th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association

Lara Allende, A., & Stephan, A. (2020). Data used in the life cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions analysis of the Nightingale Village. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13350809.v1

Lara Allende, A. (2019). Using a multi-scale life cycle energy analysis for the appraisal of green developments. A case study of the Nightingale Village in Melbourne, Australia http://hdl.handle.net/11343/230774

Thesis

An integrated environmental performance analysis of urban form

Improving urban environmental performance—both in the present and for future development—is essential for climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, this challenge extends beyond the spatial characteristics of urban built stocks to include their users and underlying operational systems. This research integrates physical and social dimensions of urban form to examine their influence on environmental performance over time and investigate potential trade-offs and rebounds between built stocks and lifestyles. Through three case studies across Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, it characterises, quantifies, and spatialises the environmental flows associated with different urban forms.

First, urban density, walkability, and verticality are analysed to characterise the urban form of each case study using morphological mapping and statistical analysis. Next, life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, and environmentally extended input-output analysis are applied to estimate material and environmental flows across built stocks and users over a 50-year period. These analyses encompass multiple metrics—including materials, energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and water—and various units of measurement (total, per square metre, and per capita). Finally, the results are synthesised into a collection of figures and cartographies that facilitate critical evaluations of environmental impact trade-offs and rebounds between built stocks and lifestyles, across urban forms and their life cycle stages.

Preliminary findings from a proof-of-concept case study in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia illustrate the interplay between built stocks and lifestyle GHG emissions across different dwelling types. In detached and attached dwellings, life cycle GHG emissions are driven by built stocks (~1.29 and ~1.11 ktCO2e, respectively), while lifestyle GHG emissions are comparatively lower (~1.11 and ~0.74 ktCO2e, respectively). Conversely, in unit dwellings, lifestyle GHG emissions (~1.04 ktCO2e) surpass those of built stocks (~0.54 ktCO2e). This pattern underscores the importance of considering the socio-spatial context when prioritising strategies for environmental impact reduction. Overall, this data-driven approach provides essential insights to support planning and design decisions that enhance life cycle environmental performance while minimising burden shifts across scales, sectors, or life cycle stages.

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