A futures-based analysis for urban air quality remediation

Abstract

1 2 3 4 5 6Strong sustainability credentials are now considered an important aspect of any new urban development. However, actions to improve sustainability (described here as solutions) must not only perform under present conditions but must also continue to deliver their benefits however the future develops. This paper examines sustainability with respect to air quality (AQ) for a 6?6 ha case study in Lancaster, UK. The impacts of the proposed development on concentrations of the pollutants nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter and on air temperature are considered. The aspects of the development designed to enhance its sustainability for AQ, either explicitly or implicitly, include making the development permeable to non-motorised transport, providing new and appropriate bus routes, and minimising car parking space. Further important aspects of the design are highlighted, including tree planting, building form and albedo. The resilience of these solutions to future change is assessed using a scenariosbased futures analysis and the future resilience of many of the proposed solutions is shown to be uncertain. This is particularly the case for those solutions that rely on policy or maintenance to maintain their efficacy. The importance of developing cross-disciplinary sustainability solutions to enhance resilience is highlighted.

A review of recent studies on sustainable urban renewal

“…Collier (2011) discussed how long-term changes through regeneration projects in Greater Manchester, England, may have been impacted by local weather and air quality. Similarly, the impacts of a proposed development on air quality are assessed in a 6.6 ha case study in Lancaster, UK (Pugh et al, 2012). The environmental impacts of maintenance, consolidation, transformation, and redevelopment for two typical cases of urban renewal in the Netherlands were compared by using the Life Cycle Assessment method (Itard & Klunder, 2007).…”

Delivering a Multi-Functional and Resilient Urban Forest

“…For any given benefit to be sustained, a set of system conditions needs to persist which extends beyond the simple presence of an urban tree [8,9,22,47,48]. A culture of planting "the right tree in the right place" recognises the importance of context and is clearly embedded in the psyche of many arboriculturists and foresters [34,49]. However, systematic recording and analysis of these contextual dependencies and their vulnerability has thus far been absent.…”

Stakeholders’ Expectations in Urban Renewal Projects in China: A Key Step towards Sustainability

“…On the one hand, it represents the improvement of the living environment, such as improving the natural environment, providing living convenience and comfort, etc. ; on the other hand, it refers to energy conservation and emission reductions, e.g., green building promotion [41][42][43]. Although there is increasing research focusing on sustainable urban renewal, the debate is mostly dominated by environmental and economic dimensions.…”