Impact of Urban Form on CO 2 Emissions under Different Socioeconomic Factors: Evidence from 132 Small and Medium-Sized Cities in China

Ran Guo, Hong Leng, Qing Yuan and Shiyi Song
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Ran Guo: School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
Hong Leng: School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
Qing Yuan: School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China
Shiyi Song: School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: The accurate estimation of the impact of urban form on CO 2 emissions is essential for the proposal of effective low-carbon spatial planning strategies. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between urban form and CO 2 emissions in small and medium-sized cities, and it is especially unclear whether the relationship varies across cities with different socioeconomic characteristics. This study took 132 small and medium-sized cities in the Yangtze River Delta in China to explore how urban form affects CO 2 emissions, considering the socioeconomic factors of industrial structure, population density, and economic development level. First, nighttime light data (DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS) and provincial energy data were used to calculate CO 2 emissions. Second, four landscape metrics were used to quantify the compactness and complexity of the urban form based on Chinese urban land-use data. Finally, panel data models were established to analyze whether and how different socioeconomic factors impacted the relationship between urban form and CO 2 emissions. The results showed that the three socioeconomic factors mentioned above all had obvious influences on the relationship between urban form and per capita CO 2 emissions in small and medium-sized cities. The effect of compactness on per-capita CO 2 emissions increased with a rise in the proportion of the tertiary industry, population density, and per-capita GDP. However, compactness shows no effects on per-capita CO 2 emissions in industrial cities and low-development-level cities. The effect of complexity on per-capita CO 2 emissions only increased with the rise in population density. The results may support decision-makers in small and medium-sized cities to propose accurate, comprehensive, and differentiated plans for CO 2 emission control and reduction.

Keywords: urban form; CO 2 emissions; socioeconomic factors; panel data model; small and medium-sized cities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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