A new approach to urban planning with less car traffic and lower carbon emissions

28.05.2026 – Urban planning needs to tackle greenhouse gas emissions – and an important way to achieve this is by reducing the number and length of car commutes. This can be achieved primarily by ensuring that homes are located close to city centres and workplaces, so well-targeted building densification becomes a critical lever. City-wide population density and transport links are of secondary importance. These are the findings of a new study in Environmental Research Letters, led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Sussex and other partners.