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Compact cities have lower carbon emissions, but poorer air quality, less green space and higher mortality rates - EurekAlert

What types of cities exist in Europe and which are more favourable in terms of human health, environmental quality and carbon footprint? To answer these questions, researchers identified four basic urban configurations on the continent: compact-high density cities, open lowrise-medium density cities, open lowrise-low density cities and green-low density cities. The results show that greener and less densely populated cities have lower mortality rates, lower air pollution levels and lower urban heat island effect, but higher carbon footprints per capita. In contrast, high-density compact cities have higher mortality rates, less green space, poorer air quality and a stronger urban heat island effect, but lower greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions per capita.

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