Comparing Energy Use Asian Cities - the Tokyo Model

http://www.kas.de/upload/dokumente/megacities/AsianMegacities.pdf

The pattern of energy consumption in Japan shows that per capita energy consumption in urban area is lower than that of non-urban
areas (Ichinose et al., 1993) and this phenomenon is common in developed countries. On contrary, in developing
countries such as China and Thailand, opposite trend is reported (Ichinose et al., 1993). Mass transportation system,
industrial structure, building floor space per household, urban growth structure and many other factors play complex
role in shaping the energy footprint of a city. However, mega-cities are characterized by large population, increased
travel demand and enhanced business and commercial activities, therefore the total volume of CO2 emission or energy
consumption contribution of mega-cities are very significant.
In this paper, authors have estimated the CO2 emissions from energy use in selected cities and analyzed the
performance of the cities in terms of the relation between per capita CO2 emissions and per capita gross regional product
(GRP). The results show that Tokyo's performance is outstanding. Based on this, authors have tried to raise the question
whether Tokyo is a desirable model for urban energy use.