Visualising and modelling urban air quality - influence of vegetation, building morphology and traffic emissions
Title: Visualising and modelling urban air quality - influence of vegetation, building morphology and traffic emissions
DNr: SNIC 2021/23-147
Project Type: SNIC Small Storage
Principal Investigator: Fredrik Lindberg <fredrikl@gvc.gu.se>
Affiliation: Göteborgs universitet
Duration: 2021-03-01 – 2022-03-01
Classification: 10508
Keywords:

Abstract

An important future goal is to create sustainable, green and dense urban environments. To ensure good air quality it is crucial to understand how vegetation, denser building structure and future traffic situations, separately and in combination, affect air quality. Our aim is to create tools for identification, visualisation and communication of measures promoting urban air quality with respect to vegetation, buildings and traffic. We will address these questions: How does densification, urban vegetation and traffic affect air quality? How can this type of environmental data visualised and communicated to increase understanding and engagement among citizens, city planners and people working with urban environments? This is achieved by 1) identification and quantification of processes governing the effect of plants on air quality by uptake of pollutants, increased deposition and altered ventilation, 2) integration of relevant vegetation processes in a model for dispersion of air pollutants and application of the model on relevant scenarios, 3) development of tools for digital visualisation of model results representing the urban landscape, and 4) communication for the public, education and as a tool in city planning. This transdisciplinary project links biological and meteorological knowledge with state-of-the-art visualisation and communication in collaboration with stakeholders and supports the realisation of UN sustainability goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.