Chicago’s Center for Neighborhood Technology produced this cool interactive map that shows just how much impact compact, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods will have in curbing global warming. They conclude:

At first glance, cities may appear to be a big source of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. But new research by CNT, which compares greenhouse gas emissions of city and suburban households, yields some surprising results. CNT looked at emissions of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, stemming from household vehicle travel in 55 metropolitan areas across the U.S. When measured on a per household basis, we found that the transportation-related emissions of people living in cities and compact neighborhoods can be nearly 70% less than those living in suburbs.

It’s interesting to compare Cleveland to its suburbs. You can see in Cleveland and in the inner-ring suburbs—where mass transit is used in higher concentrations and where destinations are within walking and biking distance—how much lower per household CO2 from autos is compared to outer suburban and exurban areas built around highway exits. But, it’s not only carbon emissions that are much higher from an auto-dependent suburb compared to a neighborhood with transit and mixed-uses (you can click into Ohio City, Shaker Square, Coventry in Cleveland Heights and along Van Aken and Shaker boulevards, which are walkable to the Green and Blue light rail lines).

Click on the image of the map (above) or here, and notice the left map shows how the combination of housing and transportation costs make sought-after urban neighborhoods more affordable. The lack of transportation options in the outer suburbs and the lack of walkable or mixed-use neighborhoods means the majority of trips are made by car. The cost to a family of owning multiple cars plus housing is inflating the cost of living in large swaths of the outer suburbs above the recommended 48% of total income.