The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood

This latest New York Times interactive map shows how people who live closer in to city centers have a relatively small carbon footprint, while those who live further out have some of the largest footprints in the nation.

While that may not be surprising by itself there are some other interesting takeaways from the article (you may be interrupted by their paywall if not a subscriber). One is that even in very dense neighborhoods like Manhattan's Upper East Side the climate footprint can be above average because wealthier people "fly more, have bigger apartments and buy more stuff"

Another interesting factor is how zoning restrictions have pushed people out of these denser neighborhoods into exurbs where they are forced to drive more and increase their carbon footprint. 

Another takeaway is that even when people drive in dense neighborhoods, they tend to drive fewer miles to get where they need to go. Finally, the article gives "props" to lower emission suburban areas like Aurora and Joliet in Illinois that have good transit and shopping options.