Exploring the impact of explicit and implicit urban form on carbon emissions: Evidence from Beijing, China

Abstract

Urban form (UF) is an important factor influencing carbon emissions (CE), and it is necessary to fully understand the complex relationship between different UF and CE. The study estimates CE using a grid as a unit and depicts the spatiotemporal pattern of CE in Beijing from 2000 to 2020. Then, based on the demand for sustainable urban development, UF is defined as explicit urban form (EUF) and implicit urban form (IUF), and the effects of different UF on CE are explored using stepwise panel regression models. The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2020, CE in Beijing showed a decreasing trend, with an average annual decrease of 57.09 × 104 t and a decrease rate of 38.58 %. Spatially, the CE gradually decreases from the east-south direction to the surrounding area, and the overall performance shows that the high CE area shrinks and the low CE area expands. (2) The influence of EUF on CE is robust, and the influence of IUF on CE is relatively large but vulnerable to other factors. (3) In EUF, urban patchy connectivity, and agglomeration have a suppressive effect on CE, while urban complexity and expansion have a positive effect on CE, reflecting that regular and compact cities are the direction of low-carbon city construction. (4) In IUF, population density (PD), economic agglomeration (EA), land use diversity (SHEI), and road density (RD) can effectively reduce CE, while industrial structure (IS) greatly contributes to the growth of CE, indicating that IUF significantly affects CE by influencing the daily energy consumption and utilization efficiency, thus has a greater potential for CE. The study reveals the influence of EUF and IUF on CE and provides a scientific basis for policy formulation in urban spatial optimization and low-carbon city construction.

Keywords

• Carbon emissions
• Explicit urban form
• Implicit urban form
• Beijing