The Impact of Urban Form Characteristics on Carbon Mitigation Process in Cities

Abstract

Cities are the main emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) that cause the most dangerous phenomenon on the planet which is climate change. The research in how to reduce the effects of this phenomenon should have the priority especially by urban planners and designers. It is known that cities form just 2% of the total earth area but they consume more than 75% of the total energy and release more than 80% of GHGs. Although, there is a rich body of research to reduce carbon emissions from cities, the relationship between carbon mitigation process and urban form characteristics still needs more research work. So, the research gab that should be covered by this paper is; there is a need to address the role of urban form characteristics as a crucial factor in carbon mitigation process at a city scale. In other words, this research attempts to answer this main question:Can a link between carbon mitigation process and urban form characteristics be founded? This research aims to determine the relationship between the urban form characteristics and the carbon mitigation process in cities.Many cities have already made their carbon mitigation processes. This paper analyses and focuses on the urban form characteristics that have had an impact in the accounting and processing carbon emissions indirectly in these cities. So, this research needs to verify why these emissions in these particular areas are different based on our own thesis which is there are different urban form characteristics that affect the amount of emissions and the mitigation process required. To explain this impact, the research has analysed many cases of carbon mitigation processes in cities and has concentrated on the large cities in three main continents which are Asia, Europe and the North America.This research has analysed models, tools and techniques for urban carbon and energy modelling and has evaluated their relationship with cities’ urban forms. It has determined urban form characteristics by either studying urban form characteristics separately or studying the previous carbon mitigation efforts that mentioned some of urban form characteristics. This paper has presented the role of urban form characteristics in carbon mitigation process in the cities under review. It has identified common characteristics of urban form that are repeated as factors in plans and strategies of carbon mitigation.

Keywords: Carbon mitigation process, urban form characteristics, greenhouse gases (GHGs), climate change