Spatial Structure and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions Due to Commuting: An Analysis of Italian Urban Areas

This paper investigates whether and to what extent the spatial configuration of an urban area affects theproduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions due to commuting. It disentangles the effect – in terms of commuting patternsand, ultimately, polluting emissions – of several features of urban spatial structure such as compactness, monocentricity, concentrationand functional diversity. The main finding of the 111 largest Italian urban areas analysed is that urban spatial configuration isan important determinant of commuting patterns and the associated level of per passenger CO2 emissions. In particular, smaller,more compact and less monocentric areas are associated with lower levels of CO2 per commuter, with socio-demographic characteristicsalso playing a role.