Reducing carbon emissions through green renewal: insights from residential energy consumption in Chinese urban inventory districts from an evidence-based decision-making perspective

Abstract The green regeneration of urban inventory is now much more viewed as a strategy to create “green finance”, in contrast to the urban renewal movement that was started in the 1950s and focused on the physical renovation of the built environment. This study draws on evidence-based theory to examine the spatial forms of residential communities in 36 urban districts of China. From a morphological perspective, it summarizes the spatial forms of residential environments at the level of buildings and microdistricts. The results indicate that in urban areas, the aspect ratio and shape coefficient of residential buildings have a significant impact on household energy consumption, and an appropriate increase in building density will help reduce carbon emissions. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the role of carbon reduction as a kind of “green finance” and provides a reference for subsequent urban renewal decisions in combination with China’s actual cases.