Why planning is the most important tool cities can use to combat climate change

A common theme that runs through most of the Center for Cities case studies. Current report How cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the role that density plays. Most of the measures taken in the case studies are based on the fact that these are dense urban areas. But why is density so important?

Density affects how we move

The way cities build homes influences residents' transportation choices. In a residential area with single-family homes, the probability of living near a public transport stop is very low, and the frequency of connections to this stop (due to the small catchment area) is also likely to be low. The result is that the car is a far more convenient choice for the resident. Therefore, car ownership is essential in the outskirts of Greater London three times higher than local authorities.

The opposite is true in areas with high population density. In these places, the number of residents in a place means that proximity to a public transport stop is higher, traffic frequency is likely to be higher, and congestion is higher – which results from more people per square meter of road space – making car travel slower make.

The result is that the benefits of using active travel and public transport in densely populated places outweigh the benefits of using a car. This helps to explain why public transport use in London is much higher than the rest of the UK and why more than half of households in central London do not own a car.

Density supports lower carbon housing and heating options

Density also supports lower-carbon housing Decisions. Smaller homes and apartments – more commonly found in urban areas – tend to emit fewer emissions and are more energy efficient than single-family homes: NNew apartments emit 67 percent less CO2 than new houses.

Density is likely to continue to impact how we heat homes in the future. The government is committed to strengthening the role of heating networks in providing heat to households Zoning of heating networks Policy. The density of cities allows buildings to be connected to central heating source simpler, with less heat loss in the transition. New buildings can be added network without requiring major structural changes to the building or network..

Another advantage of density is the increased chance of being able to reuse and utilize heat from existing operations such as waste disposal plants, heat from the tube or data centers via these heat networks, as has happened in Stockholm in Sweden.

To achieve higher densities, changes to the planning system are required

Planning may not seem like a tool for dealing with the climate emergency, but at the city level it may be the most important. So planning reform is important not only to build the homes we need, but also to help the UK meet its net zero targets. This also means that if mayors want to reduce emissions in their cities, they should accept the government's offer of spatial planning powers. And by doing so, they should encourage their cities to become denser and focus on building homes near transit stops to encourage the lifestyle changes that will be needed to reduce emissions.