felt that very large conservation opportunities existed among
 this segment of the population.
 Energy Conservation in Public Buildings

 Energy conservation in public buildings was an important
 activity of most city energy offices because (1) rising fuel
 costs are an additional strain on municipal budgets already
 affected by inflation, (2) it would improve the credibility of
 promoting conservation activities in the private sector, and
 (3) most cities had a large stock of public buildings, many of
 which were relatively energy inefficient.
 Fuel Dependency

 Several cities perceived themselves to be overly dependent on
 certain fuels, especially oil and natural gas, and therefore
 vulnerable to supply disruption and price escalation.

 The success and visibility of federal, state, and local conservation
 programs together with the increasing cost and uncertainty of supply of
 energy have led to an emerging national consensus for energy conservation,
 energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy technologies.
 There has been considerable progress toward conservation in residential
 and certain public buildings and in increasing the efficiency of heating
 and air conditioning equipment and consumer products. However, we have
 realized little of the potential for energy conservation in high density
 urban areas. Because of their physical and complex institutional and
 socioeconomic characteristics, these areas are less amenable to extensive
 building conservation measures or to the use of renewable natural resources.
 When considered on a community scale, however, there is an appropriate
 technical solution that is uniquely suited to urban areas and that can
 enhance the interaction between humanity and renewable nature for a time
 of energy conservation. The technology is district heating and cooling,
 a thermal distribution system that carries hot water or steam from one
 or more central heat sources to provide the energy needs of commercial,
 residential, institutional, and industrial buildings. This paper addresses
characteristics of urban areas that make them uniquely suitable for