Do bigger cities mean more environmentally friendly? This assumption may need to be reconsidered.

The common view is that large cities reduce energy consumption through economies of scale. However, actual data shows another trend: as city size increases, per capita energy consumption actually rises.

Why? When city size grows, activity density, infrastructure investment, and system complexity all expand simultaneously. More transportation networks, supply chains, logistics, and more complex building and power grid management—all these factors drive up overall energy consumption. Although some unit indicators may improve, from a per capita perspective, consumption is actually increasing.

This raises thought-provoking questions for urban planning and sustainable development.