ID: 1488
Presenting Author: taehyun kim
Session: 665 - Planning Support Systems for Environmental Assessment and Urban Decision-Making
Status: pending
Evidence-based planning support using carbon spatial maps and ecological indicators reveals indirect urban form impacts, seasonal trade-offs, and regionally differentiated pathways to carbon neutralit
This presentation introduces an integrated planning support approach that leverages empirical evidence from South Korea to inform climate-responsive urban decision-making. Drawing upon the Carbon Spatial Map—a georeferenced dataset linking building energy use, transportation emissions, and forest carbon absorption across 227 municipalities—we applied structural equation modeling to uncover how urban form influences net carbon emissions indirectly through housing, travel, and ecological pathways. Complementary household survey data allowed us to compare seasonal and regional variations between urban and rural contexts, highlighting the sensitivity of carbon footprints as ecological indicators. Results reveal that population density, particularly within residential areas, exerts strong indirect effects by reducing transportation demand and building energy consumption, though often at the cost of diminished green absorption. Seasonal analyses further show density benefits for winter heating but trade-offs for summer cooling, underscoring the need for adaptive spatial strategies. Importantly, the impacts of compact development differ between urban and rural areas, with densification in rural contexts demonstrating stronger carbon-reducing effects. These findings suggest that planning support systems should embed spatially explicit data, ecological indicators, and scenario modeling to guide carbon-neutral pathways. The presentation highlights how digital tools—such as GIS-based spatial maps and carbon footprint models—can support evidence-based planning and reconcile trade-offs
Dr. Kim is Chief Research Fellow at KEI, specializing in carbon-neutral and climate-resilient urban planning, integrating spatial data, policy, and public participation for sustainability.