A comparison of the health and environmental impacts of increasing urban density against increasing propensity to walk and cycle in Nashville, USA
Open accessAbstract
The transportation sector accounts for approximately 23% of the total energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide and 33% in the USA. At the same time, physical inactivity contributes to adverse health through non-communicable diseases. If policies can increase active transport (walking and cycling) and reduce car use, they could benefit human health and environmental health but the relative impact of different approaches has been under researched. This study estimated change in all-cause mortality and CO2 emissions in greater Nashville, Tennessee (USA) for two scenarios: (a) the propensity to walk and cycle a trip of a given distance increases directly to the same levels as seen in England, and (b) walking and cycling trips increase and travel distance decrease indirectly as a result of a more compact urban form. If the propensity to walk and cycle in Nashville were equal with England, about 339 deaths and about 36 ktCO2e (1%) of transportation-related CO2 emissions could be avoided per year. The compact urban form scenario could avoid 170 deaths and 370 ktCO2e (10%) of transportation-related CO2 emissions. In Nashville, both increasing the propensity to use active transport and more compact urban form would have notable public health gains, but a more compact form would have a much bigger effect on emissions.
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Improved outdoor air quality in cities results from reduced private motorized mobility using combustion and diesel engines and from more active mobility, often associated with the more accessible environments of compact cities.
“it includes cobenefits from improved outdoor air quality in cities, resulting from reduced private motorized mobility using combustion and diesel engines, and from more active mobility 60,61 , often associated with the more accessible environments of compact cities 62”
From Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being (2022) · cites this paper as [62]
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- Authors
- Ahmad, S., Goodman, A., Creutzig, F., Woodcock, J., & Tainio, M.
- Affiliations
- Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (DE)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Ahmad, Sohail
- Venue
- Cities & Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-09-24
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 55-65
- ISSN
- 2374-8834 (ISSN-L)
- 2374-8842
- OpenAlex
- W2969922533
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 1.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cities & Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (submittedVersion)
- Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)) (submittedVersion)
- Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion)
- Apollo
- Funders
- UK Research and Innovation
- Medical Research Council (MR/K023187/1, MR/P02663X/1)
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Urban Green Space and Health
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Keywords
- urban density, compact city, walking, cycling, active transport, all-cause mortality, transportation CO2 emissions, travel distance, physical inactivity, non-communicable diseases, car use reduction, environmental health, Nashville, Tennessee
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