%0 Generic
%K China
%K Energy
%K Low-Carbon Eco-City Development
%K Benchmarking
%K Carbon
%K Low-Carbon City
%A Stephanie Ohshita
%A Cecilia Fino-Chen
%A Lixuan Hong
%A Nina Khanna
%C Berkeley, CA
%D 2016
%I Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
%T BEST Cities: Software User Guide
%8 07/2016
%X <p>The <strong>B</strong>enchmarking and <strong>E</strong>nergy-<strong>S</strong>aving <strong>T</strong>ool for Low Carbon <strong>Cities</strong> (<strong><em>BEST Cities</em></strong>) is a dynamic decision-making tool, designed to assist local policy makers and urban planners in prioritizing strategies for energy and carbon saving at the city level in China.</p><p>China's 12<sup>th</sup> Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) targets a reduction in carbon intensity of the economy (CO<sub>2</sub> emissions per unit of GDP) by 17%. In the "Low Carbon Development 2014-2015 energy saving action plan," the State Council calls for interim targets of more than 4% in 2014 and more than 3.5% in 2015. The State Council also calls for energy intensity saving (energy consumption per unit of GDP) of more than 3.9% per year for 2014 and 2015. The longer-term goal is to reduce carbon intensity by 40-45% from 2005 to 2020.</p><p>With targets for low-carbon development featuring prominently in the 12<sup>th</sup> FYP and longer-term planning, cities must determine <strong><em>how</em></strong> to meet targets and promote a climate-friendly city. The BEST Cities tool can help.</p>