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Environmental performance of the urban form

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  • Legras, Sophie
  • Cavailhès, Jean

Abstract

Urban polycentricity and periurban areas are increasingly common features of regions worldwide. This paper presents a spatially explicit model to explore the environmental performance of the urban form with respect to two variables, natural or agricultural land consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions from commuting. It introduces different lot sizes based on residential location, which provide a stylized representation of the decrease in lot size with distance, observed in the real world. In doing so, this model emphasizes the role of residential lot size in the environmental consequences of urban development. It points out to the possibility of conflicting environmental objectives in the management of urban development.

Suggested Citation

  • Legras, Sophie & Cavailhès, Jean, 2016. "Environmental performance of the urban form," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-11.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:59:y:2016:i:c:p:1-11
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2016.03.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Hiroyuki Usui, 2019. "Statistical distribution of building lot depth: Theoretical and empirical investigation of downtown districts in Tokyo," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 46(8), pages 1499-1516, October.
    4. Hiroyuki Usui & Yasushi Asami, 2020. "Size Distribution of Building Lots and Density of Buildings and Road Networks: Theoretical Derivation Based on Gibrat’s Law and Empirical Study of Downtown Districts in Tokyo," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 43(3), pages 229-253, May.
    5. León, Carmelo J. & Hernández-Alemán, Anastasia & Fernández-Hernández, Carlos & Araña, Jorge E., 2023. "Are rural residents willing to trade-off higher noise for lower air pollution? Evidence from revealed preferences," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    6. Blaudin de Thé, Camille & Carantino, Benjamin & Lafourcade, Miren, 2021. "The carbon ‘carprint’ of urbanization: New evidence from French cities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    7. He, Xiaoping, 2022. "Energy effect of urban diversity: An empirical study from a land-use perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    8. Lafourcade, Miren & Blaudin de Thé, Camille & Carantino, Benjamin, 2018. "The Carbon `Carprint' of Suburbanization: New Evidence from French Cities," CEPR Discussion Papers 13086, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Denant-Boemont, Laurent & Gaigné, Carl & Gaté, Romain, 2018. "Urban spatial structure, transport-related emissions and welfare," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 29-45.
    10. Jong In Baek & Yong Un Ban, 2020. "The Impacts of Urban Air Pollution Emission Density on Air Pollutant Concentration Based on a Panel Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-26, October.
    11. Hiroyuki Usui, 2021. "Optimisation of building and road network densities in terms of variation in plot sizes and shapes," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(5), pages 1263-1278, June.
    12. Rémy Le Boennec & Sterenn Lucas, 2020. "Does a positive density perception increase the probability of living in the ideal housing type? Evidence from the Loire-Atlantique Département in France," Working Papers hal-02453401, HAL.
    13. Güven, Gökhan, 2026. "Stochastic congestion pricing and urban spatial structure in a monocentric city: A risk-adjusted equilibrium model," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 682(C).
    14. Mirjam Schindler & Geoffrey Caruso, 2020. "Emerging urban form – Emerging pollution: Modelling endogenous health and environmental effects of traffic on residential choice," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(3), pages 437-456, March.

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