India, May 28 -- Long distance car commutes to work produces significant greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). While that fact is established, a new study - using tens of millions of mobility data - "was able to reveal direct links between urban structure and car commuting with unprecedented detail, beyond mere correlations".

The study, conducted by researchers from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Sussex and other partners, finds that the distance between homes and workplaces is the primary driver of car commuting.

Earlier, the usual discussion around city planning was based on overall city density and transport connectivity but according to th...