IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v6y2014i9p5968-5982d39965.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of Compact Urban Development on Air Pollution: Empirical Evidence from Korea

Author

Listed:
  • Hee-Sun Cho

    (Green Technology Center, Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-705, Korea)

  • Mack Joong Choi

    (Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea)

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of compact urban development on air pollution, taking into account both the spatial distribution of pollutants resulting from an increase in inner urban densities and the dispersion of pollutants associated with an increase in outer green open spaces. The empirical analysis is based upon a panel data model covering 17 cities in Korea from 1996–2009; this approach is used because urban air pollution is influenced by spatial and temporal changes. Measuring the air pollution level by distance from city centers demonstrates that the spatial concentration of emission sources does not necessarily increase air pollution levels. The two-way fixed effects model, which is employed to control both individual (regional) and time effects, shows that SO 2 decreases as the proportion of green area increases, while a rise in net density leads to an increase of NO 2 . Both effects are observed in the case of CO dispersion by green area as well as emission source concentration by high densities. Therefore, there is no clear impact of compact urban development on air quality, which is instead related to pollutant-specific characteristics and the emission source.

Suggested Citation

  • Hee-Sun Cho & Mack Joong Choi, 2014. "Effects of Compact Urban Development on Air Pollution: Empirical Evidence from Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(9), pages 1-15, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:9:p:5968-5982:d:39965
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/9/5968/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/9/5968/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Helena Martins & Ana Isabel Miranda & Carlos Borrego, 2012. "Urban Structure and Air Quality," Chapters, in: Budi Haryanto (ed.), Air Pollution - A Comprehensive Perspective, IntechOpen.
    2. Jochem Van Der Waals, 2000. "The compact city and the environment: a review," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 91(2), pages 111-121, May.
    3. Roberta Capello & Roberto Camagni, 2000. "Beyond Optimal City Size: An Evaluation of Alternative Urban Growth Patterns," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 37(9), pages 1479-1496, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ketut Eko Ari Saputro & Hasim & Lina Karlinasari & Irfan Syauqi Beik, 2023. "Evaluation of Sustainable Rural Tourism Development with an Integrated Approach Using MDS and ANP Methods: Case Study in Ciamis, West Java, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Meen Chel Jung & Jaewoo Park & Sunghwan Kim, 2019. "Spatial Relationships between Urban Structures and Air Pollution in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Cárdenas Rodríguez, Miguel & Dupont-Courtade, Laura & Oueslati, Walid, 2016. "Air pollution and urban structure linkages: Evidence from European cities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1-9.
    4. 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.
    5. Man Yuan & Mingrui Yan & Zhuoran Shan, 2021. "Is Compact Urban Form Good for Air Quality? A Case Study from China Based on Hourly Smartphone Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Mingze Li & Yuan Huang & Mingdan Han, 2019. "How to Maintain a Sustainable Environment? A Spatial Evolution of Urban Atmospheric Pollution and Impact Factors in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Gianni Guastella & Walid Oueslati & Stefano Pareglio, 2019. "Patterns of Urban Spatial Expansion in European Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-15, April.
    8. 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.
    9. Qingyong Wang & Hong-Ning Dai & Hao Wang, 2017. "A Smart MCDM Framework to Evaluate the Impact of Air Pollution on City Sustainability: A Case Study from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-17, May.
    10. Yupeng Liu & Jianguo Wu & Deyong Yu, 2018. "Disentangling the Complex Effects of Socioeconomic, Climatic, and Urban Form Factors on Air Pollution: A Case Study of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-14, March.
    11. Zissis Karavas & Vayos Karayannis & Konstantinos Moustakas, 2021. "Comparative study of air quality indices in the European Union towards adopting a common air quality index," Energy & Environment, , vol. 32(6), pages 959-980, September.
    12. Helena Madureira & Ana Monteiro, 2021. "Going Green and Going Dense: A Systematic Review of Compatibilities and Conflicts in Urban Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-20, September.
    13. Cappelli, Federica & Guastella, Gianni & Pareglio, Stefano, "undated". "Urban Sprawl and Air Quality in European Cities: an Empirical Assessment," FEEM Working Papers 309920, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    14. Manuel Herrador & Tran Tho Dat & Dinh Duc Truong & Le Thu Hoa & Katarzyna Å obacz, 2023. "The Unique Case Study of Circular Economy in Vietnam Remarking Recycling Craft Villages," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, September.
    15. Feng Wang & Ge Wang & Juan Liu & Jing Ren & Mingru Dong, 2021. "Impact paths of land urbanization on haze pollution: spatial nesting structure perspective," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 109(1), pages 975-998, October.
    16. Ahfeldt, Gabriel M. & Pietrostefani, Elisabetta, 2017. "The compact city in empirical research: A quantitative literature review," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 83638, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    17. Seung-Hoon Park & Dong-Won Ko, 2018. "Investigating the Effects of the Built Environment on PM 2.5 and PM 10 : A Case Study of Seoul Metropolitan City, South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-11, December.
    18. Ramesh Chandra Das & Tonmoy Chatterjee & Enrico Ivaldi, 2021. "Sustainability of Urbanization, Non-Agricultural Output and Air Pollution in the World’s Top 20 Polluting Countries," Data, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-16, June.
    19. Ari Purwadi & Suhandi Suhandi & Umi Enggarsasi, 2020. "Urban Air Pollution Control Caused by Exhaust Gas Emissions in Developing Country Cities in Public Policy Law Perspective," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 10(1), pages 31-36.
    20. Gabriel M. Ahfeldt & Elisabetta Pietrostefani, 2017. "The Compact City in Empirical Research: A Quantitative Literature Review," SERC Discussion Papers 0215, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    21. Chuanglin Fang & Haimeng Liu & Guangdong Li & Dongqi Sun & Zhuang Miao, 2015. "Estimating the Impact of Urbanization on Air Quality in China Using Spatial Regression Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-23, November.
    22. Lijie He & Ying Liu & Peipei He & Hao Zhou, 2019. "Relationship between Air Pollution and Urban Forms: Evidence from Prefecture-Level Cities of the Yangtze River Basin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-21, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ramesh Chandra Das & Tonmoy Chatterjee & Enrico Ivaldi, 2021. "Sustainability of Urbanization, Non-Agricultural Output and Air Pollution in the World’s Top 20 Polluting Countries," Data, MDPI, vol. 6(6), pages 1-16, June.
    2. Xinyue Hu & Han Yan & Deng Wang & Zhuoqun Zhao & Guoqin Zhang & Tao Lin & Hong Ye, 2020. "A Promotional Construction Approach for an Urban Three-Dimensional Compactness Model—Law-of-Gravitation-Based," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-10, August.
    3. Shuai Shi & Kathy Pain, 2020. "Investigating China’s Mid-Yangtze River economic growth region using a spatial network growth model," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(14), pages 2973-2993, November.
    4. Tao, Miaomiao, 2024. "Dynamics between electric vehicle uptake and green development: Understanding the role of local government competition," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 227-240.
    5. Roula Inglesi-Lotz & Luis Diez del Corral Morales, 2017. "The Effect of Education on a Country’s Energy Consumption: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries," Working Papers 201733, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    6. Oana Țugulea, 2017. "City Brand Personality—Relations with Dimensions and Dimensions Inter-Relations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Mindali, Orit & Raveh, Adi & Salomon, Ilan, 2004. "Urban density and energy consumption: a new look at old statistics," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 143-162, February.
    8. Schindler, Mirjam & Wang, Judith Y.T. & Connors, Richard D., 2021. "A two-stage residential location and transport mode choice model with exposure to traffic-induced air pollution," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    9. Li He & Xukun Zhang, 2023. "Assessing the Impact of Pollution on Urban Scale in China: A New Perspective from Residents’ Health," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-21, November.
    10. Hugo Priemus, 2011. "URBAN DUTCH: Synergy Between Transport Infrastructures and Cities. Towards a Higher Productivity of the Economy," ERSA conference papers ersa11p1267, European Regional Science Association.
    11. repec:kbb:dpaper:2012-19 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Eeva-Sofia Säynäjoki & Jukka Heinonen & Seppo Junnila, 2014. "The Power of Urban Planning on Environmental Sustainability: A Focus Group Study in Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(10), pages 1-22, September.
    13. Chuanglin Fang & Haimeng Liu & Guangdong Li & Dongqi Sun & Zhuang Miao, 2015. "Estimating the Impact of Urbanization on Air Quality in China Using Spatial Regression Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-23, November.
    14. Sheng, Pengfei & Guo, Xiaohui, 2016. "The Long-run and Short-run Impacts of Urbanization on Carbon Dioxide Emissions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 208-215.
    15. Kangni Lyu & Shuwang Yang & Kun Zheng & Yao Zhang, 2023. "How Does the Digital Economy Affect Carbon Emission Efficiency? Evidence from Energy Consumption and Industrial Value Chain," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-20, January.
    16. Claude LACOUR & Sylvette PUISSANT, 2008. "Medium-Sized Cities and the Dynamics of Creative Services," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2008-08, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    17. Akihiro Otsuka, 2021. "A new approach to inter‐regional network externalities in Japan," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 1051-1067, June.
    18. Chun Li & Jianhua He & Xingwu Duan, 2020. "Modeling the Collaborative Evolution of Urban Land Considering Urban Interactions under Intermediate Intervention, in the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-18, June.
    19. Cheng, Zhonghua & Wang, Lan, 2023. "Can new urbanization improve urban total-factor energy efficiency in China?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    20. Yaxing Gu & Shukai Cai, 2025. "Research on the Impact of Polycentric City Network on Economic Growth in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-26, April.
    21. Kyung-Min Nam & John M. Reilly, 2013. "City Size Distribution as a Function of Socioeconomic Conditions: An Eclectic Approach to Downscaling Global Population," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(1), pages 208-225, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:9:p:5968-5982:d:39965. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.