The influence of urban form on GHG emissions in the U.S. household sector

To better understand the role of sustainable urban development in greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, this study examines the paths by which urban form influences an individual household's carbon dioxide emissions in the 125 largest urbanized areas in the U.S. Our multilevel SEM analyses show that doubling population-weighted density is associated with a reduction in CO₂ emissions from household travel and residential energy consumption by 48% and 35%, respectively. Centralized population and polycentric structures have only a moderate impact in our analyses. Given that household travel and residential energy use account for 42% of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, these findings highlight the importance of smart growth policies to build more compact and transit friendly cities as a crucial part of any strategic efforts to mitigate GHG emissions and to stabilize climate. - Highlights: • We examine how urban form influences household CO₂ emissions using a multilevel SEM. • Doubling population-weighted density is associated with a 48% reduction in CO₂ emissions from household travel. • Doubling population-weighted density is associated with a 35% reduction in CO₂ emissions from residential energy use. • Doubling per capita transit subsidy is associated with a 46% lower VMT and 18% reduction in transportation CO₂ emissions. • Smart growth policies should be a crucial part of any strategic efforts to mitigate GHG emissions and stabilize climate