HR: 1340h
AN: B33A-0237 [Abstracts]
TI: Exploring Relationships between North American Urban Form and Rates of Urban CO$_{2}$ Emissions: A
System Dynamics Approach
AU: Emmi, P C
EM: emmi@arch.utah.edu
AF: University of Utah,
College of Architecture+Planning, 375 S 1350 E, Rm 235, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0370
United States
AU: * Forster, C B
EM: forster@arch.utah.edu
AF: University of Utah,
College of Architecture+Planning, 375 S 1350 E, Rm 235, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0370
United States
AU: Mills, J I
EM: jimills@onewest.net
AF: University of Utah,
College of Architecture+Planning, 375 S 1350 E, Rm 235, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0370
United States
AU: Call, B D
EM: callbd@arch.utah.edu
AF: University of Utah,
College of Architecture+Planning, 375 S 1350 E, Rm 235, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0370
United States
AU: Sabula, J
EM: sabulie@yahoo.com
AF: University of Utah,
College of Architecture+Planning, 375 S 1350 E, Rm 235, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0370
United States
AU: Klewicki, J C
EM: klewicki@eng.utah.edu
AF: University of Utah,
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 50 S Central Campus Drive, Rm 2110, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9208
United States
AU: Pataki, D E
EM: dpataki@uci.edu
AF: University of California at Irvine,
Dept. of Ecology and Evolution, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697
United States
AU: Peterson, T R
EM: trp3@utah.edu
AF: University of Utah,
Dept. of Communication, 255 S. Central Campus Dr., LNCO #2400, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
United States
AB:
Cities are the locus of North America's most intense consumption of fossil fuels. Thus the rate and character of urbanization
influence the rate of urban CO$_{2}$ released into the global atmosphere. The rate of rural-to-urban land conversion, and
changes in the population density of urban land, are influenced by coupled changes in urban demographics and the local
economy. Urban sprawl (a rapid expansion of urban land with low population densities) is governed by a self-reinforcing
feedback effect between urban transportation infrastructure investments (road building) and urban land development where road
building begets new urban neighborhoods that, in turn, induce more road building that begets additional new neighborhoods.
If unrestrained, this feedback effect leads to the unrestrained expansion of urban sprawl, urban vehicular travel and traffic
congestion. This self-reinforcing feedback loop forms a key dynamic that controls the rate at which CO$_{2}$-emitting fossil
fuels are burned for transportation, electricity production, heating, and commercial/industrial processes. In a rapidly
sprawling city residents must travel increasingly greater distances between work, shopping, and home while commercial service
vehicles must travel to increasingly remote residential locations. The increasing number of vehicle trips and vehicle miles
traveled, combined with the growing prevalence of ever-lower density urban land development, leads to a rapid increase in
mobile and stationary CO$_{2}$ emissions. A more compact and punctuated form of urban development with higher-density and
mixed-use urban activity centers leads to reduced CO$_{2}$ emissions. Those who shape urban development policy are often
unconcerned by increasing CO$_{2}$ emissions unless they can be linked to: (1) local concerns about criteria air pollutant
emissions and air quality, (2) the dependency of federal infrastructure funding on meeting ambient air quality standards, and
(3) the consequences of human exposure to health risks associated with declining air quality. The dynamic simulation of
urban systems demonstrates that a suite of policies can be found to diminish sprawl and defeat traffic congestion thereby
safeguarding the vitality a city. A systems thinking approach, facilitated by a community engagement process, has further
enabled community opinion leaders and policy makers to map the key features, linkages and feedbacks of a complex,
CO$_{2}$-emitting urban ecosystem. A corresponding lumped-parameter, simulation model provides a framework for decision
makers and stakeholders to explore the consequences of alternative options for managing urban growth, sprawl and congestion
while also reducing CO$_{2}$ emissions.
UR: http://slvairshed.utah.edu
DE: 6334 Regional planning
DE: 0315 Biosphere/atmosphere interactions
DE: 0345 Pollution--urban and regional (0305)
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting