Urban Sprawl and Energy Efficiency: The Relevance of Urban Form in the Environmental Sustainability of Cities

Dear Collegues, 

One of the urban aspects that has generated the most attention in the urban planning literature is the phenomenon of the physical expansion of cities accompanied by a significant loss of density, known as urban sprawl. From the 1960s to the present day, a vast body of literature on the delimitations, causes, and consequences of sprawl has proliferated. At the end of the last century, it seemed that the phenomenon was already widely studied in all its possible aspects. However, in recent years, we have witnessed a resurgence in the academic literature related to sprawl. There are several reasons this renewed interest in the physical configuration of cities in general and the phenomenon of their scattered growth in particular has occurred. On the one hand, new methodologies have been developed for cartographic digitization and the treatment of geo-referenced information. These new techniques and databases have allowed a much more precise analysis of sprawl and the design of new indicators. Therefore, theories about the origin of sprawl and the causes of its global growth have been revised with a more precise empirical approach. However, the main reason this phenomenon has once again attracted the attention of urban planners and social scientists is the close relationship that exists between sprawl and the environmental efficiency of cities. Under this perspective, interesting works have appeared that analyze the environmental consequences of sprawled urban growth.

One of the specific areas in which the literature has focused its effort is the analysis of the impact of the dispersion of cities on energy consumption. A body of literature is beginning to form with strong evidence regarding how dispersed urban development negatively affects the energy efficiency of cities. Sprawled cities are implied to lay more kilometers of pipelines or power lines at a higher cost and greater loss of resource during transport. Additionally, single-family homes are a mode of construction that is less energy-efficient than apartment/flats. Single-family homes are more exposed to cold or heat, and it is more expensive to maintain the temperature of a house. Even more important, however, is the impact that a dispersed city has on energy consumption associated with transport. A review of the more recent literature can be found in the work “Recent Literature about Urban Sprawl: A Renewed Relevance of the Phenomenon from the Perspective of Environmental Sustainability”, recently published in Sustainability.

This Special Issue, entitled “Urban Sprawl and Energy Efficiency: The Relevance of Urban Form in the Environmental Sustainability of Cities”, proposes to bring together the authors who have made some of the most relevant recent contributions in this field to summarize their contributions and include new analyses. In this way, it is expected that the Special Issue will be a must-read for all researchers working in this field and a key reference point in future and growing research on the role of cities in climate change, smart urban planning, and sustainable growth of cities.

The editors will personally invite some of the leading researchers in the area of the proposal to make literature reviews or new contributions. It will try to cover the differentiated perspectives of the different continents with a priority attention to Europe, where there is a transition from the traditional compact model to the dispersed model, and Asia, where the current most intense urban development takes place. However, other works from the perspective of North America, Latin America or Africa will be welcome.

Prof. Dr. Fernando Rubiera Morollón
Prof. Dr. Rubén Garrido-Yserte
Dr. Blanca Pérez Gladish
Guest Editors

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• urban sprawl
• urban sustainability
• urban planning
• urban form
• energy efficiency
• environmental impact of cities and global warming