The Greenness of Cities: Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Urban Development by Edward L. Glaeser and Matthew E. Kahn examines the relationship between urban development and carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. The study finds that cities generally have significantly lower emissions than suburban areas, with the city-suburb gap being particularly large in older areas like New York. The lowest emissions areas are generally in California, while the highest emissions areas are in Texas and Oklahoma. The study also finds a strong negative association between emissions and land use regulations, suggesting that current land use restrictions may be counterproductive in reducing emissions. The study uses data from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey and the 2000 Census of Population and Housing to measure emissions from driving, public transit, home heating, and household electricity usage. The study finds that the average household in San Diego and Los Angeles emits about 19 tons of carbon dioxide per year, while the average household in Oklahoma City and Memphis emits about 32 tons per year. The study also finds that central city residence is associated with lower levels of emissions than suburban areas, with the largest emissions difference between central cities and suburbs in New York. The study concludes that current land use restrictions may be doing exactly the opposite of what climate change activists may have hoped, pushing new development towards the least environmentally friendly urban areas. The study also finds that energy use is a significant factor in emissions, with the social cost of a new home in Houston being $550 more per year than the social cost of a new home in San Francisco. The study suggests that optimal location-specific taxes on development, in the absence of other carbon emission taxes, could help reduce emissions. The study also finds that the cost of carbon emissions varies significantly across metropolitan areas, with the highest costs in Memphis and the lowest in San Diego. The study concludes that changing urban development patterns can have potentially large impacts on total carbon emissions, with residential and personal transportation accounting for about 40 percent of total emissions. The study suggests that policies aimed at reducing emissions should focus on changing urban development patterns rather than just taxing carbon emissions.The Greenness of Cities: Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Urban Development by Edward L. Glaeser and Matthew E. Kahn examines the relationship between urban development and carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. The study finds that cities generally have significantly lower emissions than suburban areas, with the city-suburb gap being particularly large in older areas like New York. The lowest emissions areas are generally in California, while the highest emissions areas are in Texas and Oklahoma. The study also finds a strong negative association between emissions and land use regulations, suggesting that current land use restrictions may be counterproductive in reducing emissions. The study uses data from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey and the 2000 Census of Population and Housing to measure emissions from driving, public transit, home heating, and household electricity usage. The study finds that the average household in San Diego and Los Angeles emits about 19 tons of carbon dioxide per year, while the average household in Oklahoma City and Memphis emits about 32 tons per year. The study also finds that central city residence is associated with lower levels of emissions than suburban areas, with the largest emissions difference between central cities and suburbs in New York. The study concludes that current land use restrictions may be doing exactly the opposite of what climate change activists may have hoped, pushing new development towards the least environmentally friendly urban areas. The study also finds that energy use is a significant factor in emissions, with the social cost of a new home in Houston being $550 more per year than the social cost of a new home in San Francisco. The study suggests that optimal location-specific taxes on development, in the absence of other carbon emission taxes, could help reduce emissions. The study also finds that the cost of carbon emissions varies significantly across metropolitan areas, with the highest costs in Memphis and the lowest in San Diego. The study concludes that changing urban development patterns can have potentially large impacts on total carbon emissions, with residential and personal transportation accounting for about 40 percent of total emissions. The study suggests that policies aimed at reducing emissions should focus on changing urban development patterns rather than just taxing carbon emissions.