Cities across the globe are growing and evolving, but a groundbreaking new study reveals a surprising force shaping their very forms: power infrastructure. Researchers have uncovered that thermal power plants—the large-scale energy generators often reliant on coal and other fuels—have a profound impact on how cities expand and densify. Rather than fueling horizontal urban sprawl, these power plants seem to encourage vertical growth, effectively reshaping urban landscapes in a way never fully appreciated before.
In an extensive analysis comparing cities with and without major thermal power plants, the study found that built-up urban areas shrink by over 20% in the presence of these facilities. This counterintuitive phenomenon suggests that instead of sprawling outward, cities tend to grow upwards when these energy behemoths are nearby. Complementing this spatial transformation, these cities also witnessed a modest population increase of nearly 2% and a striking 7.6% boost in population density. Intriguingly, average building heights soared by almost 19%, underscoring a verticalization trend tethered tightly to power generation infrastructure.
Delving deeper, the mechanisms driving these urban shifts are rooted in the interplay between pollution, energy supply, and economic development. Thermal power plants are historically linked to elevated pollution levels, which typically deter residential expansion on a horizontal axis. At the same time, they provide a stable and robust electricity supply critical for dense urban environments. These dual factors appear to funnel population growth toward denser, vertically oriented developments closer to the city center, and perhaps even nearer to the power plants themselves—a theory strongly supported by observed linear relationships between population density and distance from thermal power facilities.
Strikingly, the study also examined an alternative control group of gas-fired power plants, which tend to produce less pollution. Unlike their thermal counterparts, cities with gas-fired plants demonstrated a notably greater ability to attract residents. This difference highlights that the pollution footprint of energy generation sources plays a pivotal role in influencing urban form and growth patterns, beyond merely energy provision.
Beyond confirming these primary findings, the research team conducted thorough robustness checks and heterogeneity analyses to verify the universality of their conclusions. They assessed their results across four critical dimensions: the level of transportation infrastructure; varying degrees of economic development; environmental performance indicators; and local natural factors. This multidimensional approach strengthened the assertion that electricity infrastructure—especially when coupled with pollution dynamics—exerts a powerful influence on urban morphology whether in economically advanced or nascent cities.
Looking forward, the authors present a compelling vision for the future trajectory of urban growth. As electricity grids expand and improve in both capacity and accessibility, and as renewable, cleaner energy sources gain prominence, the historic trend of outward urban sprawl is likely to slow dramatically or even reverse. The anticipated paradigm shift will involve cities growing upwards, fostering population agglomeration in tighter areas rather than sprawling horizontally. This vertical development model promises to reduce land use conflicts and optimize the sustainability of urban living.
Electricity emerges in their analysis as a fundamental enabler of this vertical urban development and population concentration. Under constrained budgets, strategic siting of large-scale government electricity infrastructure—thermal or increasingly renewable—could prioritize cities aiming to consolidate growth vertically rather than endlessly expanding their footprints. This role of power infrastructure as a lever of urban form challenges traditional planning and suggests electricity policy and urban planning are becoming inseparable domains.
While renewable energy plants tend to be smaller in physical scale compared to thermal power stations, their capacity to influence urban form appears equally significant. As costs of renewable technologies continue to fall and their pollution-free nature wins favor among policymakers and residents, these cleaner plants will likely become essential tools for governments seeking to guide sustainable vertical urbanization. The environmental advantages of renewables add an urgent dimension to their urban planning value, potentially mitigating the negative externalities linked to thermal power generation.
This dynamic is critical given the widespread consequences of horizontal urban expansion, including the loss of arable land and increasing conflicts between human development and natural ecosystems. By promoting vertical urban growth, electricity infrastructure—via power plants—could provide a powerful tool to alleviate these tensions. Governments can strategically harness this knowledge to design cities that minimize ecological impact while accommodating growing populations.
However, the study also acknowledges limitations inherent in their approach. The urban morphology analysis tends to dichotomize city form into ‘flat’ and ‘vertical’ categories, potentially overlooking more nuanced spatial configurations and their effects. The lack of high-resolution, global urban data—particularly regarding industry composition and investment flow information—hindered exploration of finer-grained mechanisms driving urban change. These challenges highlight a pressing need for more detailed, large-scale urban datasets that can enrich future research into micro-level dynamics.
Another open question concerns the complex interactions between industrial structures, investment strategies, and power infrastructure in shaping city growth. Understanding these interdependencies could unveil additional levers for policymakers to manage urban expansion and densification effectively. There is fertile ground for upcoming studies to dissect these relationships and refine urban planning models in light of the evolving energy landscape.
The implications of this research extend well beyond academic curiosity. In an era marked by accelerating urbanization and growing environmental concerns, the capacity to influence how cities physically grow is a critical governance challenge. Integrating power infrastructure planning into urban development strategies could become a cornerstone of sustainable city design, ensuring that population growth harmonizes with ecological protection and efficient resource use.
Moreover, these findings challenge some conventional assumptions about power plants and pollution. While thermal plants’ pollution is often regarded solely as a detriment, this research reframes their role as inadvertent but significant agents of urban transformation. By shaping population patterns and building geometries, power infrastructure imprints its influence far beyond energy supply, affecting the very fabric of urban life.
The study’s robust methodology—cross-referencing socioeconomic data, pollution metrics, and urban morphological characteristics—sets new standards for interdisciplinary research in urban studies and energy policy. Such rigorous, multi-faceted approaches are essential to unravel the layered complexities that define contemporary cities.
As cities worldwide grapple with the twin challenges of accommodating expanding populations and combating climate change, insights into how power infrastructure can mediate urban form and density offer powerful tools. Policymakers who heed these findings can better design infrastructure investments to foster healthy, sustainable urban futures marked by optimized land use and reduced environmental footprints.
Ultimately, this pioneering research invites a paradigm shift in our understanding of urban growth drivers. Power plants are no longer mere background infrastructure; they are active, shaping forces influencing how cities physically and demographically evolve. The interplay between energy provision, pollution, and urban form highlights a fascinating nexus at the heart of future city planning, suggesting that “plugging in” is not just about lighting homes but about powering the very shape and scale of human settlements.
Subject of Research: The impact of power infrastructure, specifically thermal and gas-fired power plants, on urban form, morphology, population density, and urban growth patterns.
Article Title: Plugging in for cities: the impact of power infrastructure on urban agglomeration.
Article References:
Xia, X., Wu, J., Tang, L. et al. Plugging in for cities: the impact of power infrastructure on urban agglomeration. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 1407 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05146-7
