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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Impacts of the Urban Environment on Carbon
Emissions from Residential Building Operations
in Small Cities: An Empirical Study in China
1
School of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, 13 Middle Yanta Road, Xi’an, 710055, China
2
School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150006, China
3
Key Laboratory of Cold Region Urban and Rural Human Settlement Environment Science and Technology, Ministry
of Industry and Information Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150006, China
Submission date: 2024-02-06
Final revision date: 2024-04-13
Acceptance date: 2024-04-27
Online publication date: 2024-09-16
Publication date: 2025-01-28
Corresponding author
Ran Guo
School of Architecture and Design, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, 150006, Harbin, China
School of Architecture and Design, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, 150006, Harbin, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(3):2375-2387
KEYWORDS
urban environment impactresidential buildingoperational carbon emissionssmall citiespanel data model
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Small cities warrant focused attention for robust low-carbon development strategies due to their significant
numbers. In these cities, residential buildings emerge as notable contributors to carbon emissions, consuming
substantial energy in their operations. This study employs an optimized IPAT equation, utilizing government
statistical data, satellite remote sensing images, and panel data models to analyze the impact of the urban
environment on carbon emissions from residential building operations (CERBOs) in 36 small Chinese cities.
The findings reveal geographical variations in sensitivity to scale, economic, and spatial structure factors.
Population size, municipal jurisdiction area, urbanization level, GDP, and per capita disposable income
significantly contribute to CERBOs. Particularly, a 1% increase in municipal jurisdiction area leads to a
1.698% increase in total CERBOs, the highest influencing factor. Spatial structure only affects western cities,
with compact development being more conducive to reducing CERBOs. Notably, carbon emissions from
electricity are more influenced by environmental factors than those from heating and gas. The study proposes
region-specific low-carbon planning strategies based on these findings. The theoretical optimization model
proposed in the study, as well as the identified impact factors, will provide a theoretical basis and data support
for understanding and reducing carbon emissions in small cities.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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