Policy Driven Compact Cities: Toward Clarifying the Effect of Compact Cities on Carbon Emissions

Abstract

Compact cities, characterized by high density and accessibility with fully developed inner-city public transport, are widely discussed and practiced around the world in response to the challenges of sustainable development and global warming. On this basis, we are committed to answering the question of how cities with varying urban growth rates adopt different policy practices, and whether these practices contribute to achieving the goal of building a sustainable, low-carbon city. Specifically, this study assesses the theoretical evidence and practical experiences on the effect of compact city characteristics and policies on urban CO2 emissions using a focused literature review and representative case studies. The results illustrate that public transportation is often strengthened in compact city policies and the density and spatial configuration of cities has a significant impact on urban carbon emissions. Moreover, there are significant differences within the impact mechanisms of compact cities on carbon emissions between small-medium-sized cities (dealing with aging populations and resource waste) and megacities (dealing with excessive urban sprawl). However, there is still insufficient quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of compact city policies and this review provides insights into future compact city planning toward policy approaches which yield lower carbon emissions.

A Review of the Effects of Urban and Green Space Forms on the Carbon Budget Using a Landscape Sustainability Framework

“…Compact cities are characterized by aggregated functions, a high density, and a strong transportation network [208]. Their advantages include short travel distances and travel times, low-carbon travel, mixed land use, the high accessibility of facilities, high population density and development, and an adequate public transport system [63,66,113].…”

“…Although the degree of urban land aggregation is improved, unreasonable resource allocation may increase carbon emissions [47]. In addition, compact urban development plans differ significantly in their level of emission reduction due to different city sizes and economic levels [77,208]. Due to scale effects, compact large cities have lower per capita carbon emissions than compact small cities [77].…”

Spatial compactness and carbon emission: Nighttime light satellite‐based exposure assessment

“…In recent years, there has been a growing body of research exploring the relationship between spatial structure and sustainable consumption practices. Specifically, compact urban structures have been shown to be conducive to lower energy consumption (Burgalassi & Luzzati, 2015; Cirilli & Veneri, 2014; Fan & Chapman, 2022). Using Italian cross‐sectional data, Cirilli and Veneri (2014) demonstrated that compact urban areas are associated with lower levels of CO 2 emissions.…”

Exploring Urban Compactness and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Road Transport Sector: A Case Study of Big Cities in South Korea

“…Previous studies have suggested that higher urban compactness, characterized by denser populations and more efficient land use, correlates with lower per capita GHG emissions [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. This is often attributed to reduced vehicle usage in densely populated urban areas, where proximity to public facilities and efficient public transport systems diminish reliance on personal vehicles [17][18][19].…”