TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of street canyon morphology and traffic volume on NO2 values in the street canyons of Antwerp
AU - Voordeckers, D.
AU - Meysman, F. J.R.
AU - Billen, P.
AU - Tytgat, T.
AU - Van Acker, M.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Air pollution remains a major environmental and health concern in urban environments, especially in street canyons that show increased pollution levels due to a lack of natural ventilation. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between street canyon morphology and in-canyon pollution levels. However, these studies are typically limited to the scale of a single street canyon and city-wide assessments on this matter are scarce. In 2018, NO2 concentrations were measured in 321 street canyons in the city of Antwerp (Belgium) as part of the large-scale citizen-science project “CurieuzeNeuzen”. In our research, this data was used to study the correlation between morphological indices (e.g. aspect ratio (AR), lateral aspect ratio (LAR), presence of trees) and the traffic volumes on a city-wide scale. The maximum hourly traffic volume (TVmax) and AR correlated significantly with the measured NO2 values, making them useful indicators for air quality in street canyons. For street canyons with AR > 0.65, a TVmax of 300 vehicles/hour was found as a threshold value to guarantee acceptable air quality. No significant correlations were found for the other parameters. Finally, a number of typical street canyon types were defined, which can be of fundamental interest for further research and spatial policy making.
AB - Air pollution remains a major environmental and health concern in urban environments, especially in street canyons that show increased pollution levels due to a lack of natural ventilation. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between street canyon morphology and in-canyon pollution levels. However, these studies are typically limited to the scale of a single street canyon and city-wide assessments on this matter are scarce. In 2018, NO2 concentrations were measured in 321 street canyons in the city of Antwerp (Belgium) as part of the large-scale citizen-science project “CurieuzeNeuzen”. In our research, this data was used to study the correlation between morphological indices (e.g. aspect ratio (AR), lateral aspect ratio (LAR), presence of trees) and the traffic volumes on a city-wide scale. The maximum hourly traffic volume (TVmax) and AR correlated significantly with the measured NO2 values, making them useful indicators for air quality in street canyons. For street canyons with AR > 0.65, a TVmax of 300 vehicles/hour was found as a threshold value to guarantee acceptable air quality. No significant correlations were found for the other parameters. Finally, a number of typical street canyon types were defined, which can be of fundamental interest for further research and spatial policy making.
KW - Air pollution
KW - Air quality monitoring
KW - Citizen science
KW - GIS analysis
KW - Street canyon
KW - Urban planning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104657110&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107825
DO - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107825
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85104657110
SN - 0360-1323
VL - 197
JO - Building and Environment
JF - Building and Environment
M1 - 107825
ER -