Integrating urban form, transportation, and energy efficiency: a reliable guide for decision-makers towards sustainable urban mobility

This chapter addresses the relationship between urban form and mobility for energy-efficient urban structures and sustainable transportation systems. It draws attention to the problems of urban sprawl and automobile dependency, which are reflected in poorly designed policies, and the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they contribute to. Furthermore, this situation is an important issue for urban policymakers in terms of the ever-growing population. The chapter discusses various policies and strategies for energy-efficient cities and transportation systems. The chapter critically examines the impact of macro-scale urban form and its elements, namely urban connectivity, density, mixed land use, and urban morphology, on mobility-related energy consumption. On a macroscale, the urban form and its elements have a significant impact on a city’s energy efficiency and the amount of energy consumed from transportation. Well-connected urban functions and road networks, coupled with sufficient high density and mixed use, support the city by reducing travel distances and promoting active modes of transportation. Thus, vehicle dependency is curbed. On the other hand, urban sprawl, characterized by low density and the clustering of different city uses at different points, such as residential or business areas, leads to an increase in the distances and frequency of motor vehicle travel. This situation increases energy consumption in transportation. In conclusion, this chapter offers a structure for urban policy-makers to create sustainable and energy-efficient cities by means of combined urban design, creative policy development, and environmentally friendly transportation options.