Is the city low-carbon because of its compactness? An empirical study in Shanghai, China

Abstract

Spatially compact development is crucial in utilizing territorial spatial planning tools to promote cities to achieve carbon peak and neutrality appropriately. So far, few studies have examined the relationship between spatial compactness (SC) and carbon emissions (CEs) from a zonal perspective. The present scrutiny is aimed at proposing a new CEs evaluation index, termed carbon performance (CP), and employing the spatial econometric model to examine the impact of SC on the CP. Research Findings: Sub-indicator of the SC exhibits dramatically varying implications in various phases. In the short-term, proximity (N) could lead to lessening the CP in the local area, but it could raise the CP in the surrounding regions, with the opposite effect long-term. The short-term effect of connectivity (J) incorporates into the CP growth in the local area and the CP reduction in the surrounding regions. Still, the long-term perspective has an inhibitory effect on the CP of the local area, while the impact on the surrounding areas turns into a promoting effect. Aggregation (M) continuously reduces carbon in the local and surrounding areas. The targeted policy implications are proposed based on the findings mentioned above.