Does a compact city really reduce consumption-based carbon emissions? The case of South Korea

Evidence to prove that compact cities, the core of smart growth strategies, are the vision for carbon-neutral cities has been insufficiently explored because analyses have not distinguished between production- and consumption-based carbon emissions. Empirically analyzing the relationship with compact cities by estimating the final demand and investigating carbon emissions generated from the consumption of goods is essential. This study estimated consumption-based carbon emissions in South Korea using nighttime satellite imagery. Subsequently, using spatial analysis, K-means clustering analysis, and a regression model, we comprehensively confirmed whether a compact city to reduce consumption-based carbon emissions should be pursued. The results showed that (1) based on the clustering analysis, consumption-based carbon emissions were the lowest in clusters with the most desirable development form from a compact city perspective; and (2) the OLS regression analysis showed that the higher the complex land use (diversity), population density (density), congestion frequency intensity (transit access), green area ratio (environment), and agricultural area ratio (environment), the lower the consumption-based carbon emissions. However, the results confirmed that the greater the Vehicle Kilometers Traveled (street accessibility) and the poorer the accessibility of high-speed rail, the higher the consumption-based carbon emissions. Therefore, we recommend pursuing a compact city to reduce consumption-based carbon emissions.