Revealing the mechanism of urban form affecting energy footprint and carrying capacity: an empirical analysis of Nanjing, China

Exploring the factors that affect energy supply and demand is the basis of solving energy problems. And the influence of urban form has brought widespread concern. However, the complex role of urban form indicators is not clear, and the influence mechanism of urban form on overall energy consumption and energy supply capacity needs further discussion. This study analyzes the energy security situation of 11 districts in Nanjing from 1995 to 2017 and explores the effect of inter-index interaction of urban form on energy footprint and carrying capacity. The results show that the direct and indirect effects of water area and urban and rural areas on energy footprint are in opposite directions. Specifically, the urban area with good connectivity and a regular shape is conducive to alleviating the negative effect of the increase. Besides, the effect of the population density on carrying capacity was significant. Combined with the change of land resources, it implies the important role of reasonable land reclamation in improving the capacity to meet increasing demand. This study provides significant suggestions for governing energy security issues from the perspective of urban form.