Using GIS tools to estimate CO2 emissions related to the accessibility of large retail stores in the Oulu region, Finland

Everyday traffic accounts for a significant share of overall greenhouse gas emissions, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2). While several solutions have been proposed for decreasing the emissions, a new kind of land use planning is required in order to achieve long-term effects. This study focuses on the effect of large retail store locations in the urban structure on overall CO2 emissions, by using the Oulu region, Finland, as a case study. The aim was to utilize GIS tools to assess store locations in terms of CO2 emissions from private cars used for consumer traffic. In this case, not only are the locations of the existing and planned retail units investigated with respect to population distribution and car ownership, but the analysis is also carried out by regarding any location within the study area as a hypothetical site for a large retail unit. According to the applied method, CO2 values are lowest near the centre of the studied region, the region with the highest population density, although the city centre itself did not turn out to be the most optimal location for a retail store in terms of CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, by generally reducing trip length, a compact urban structure is an important way of achieving long-term cuts in CO2 emissions.