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Integrating Air Pollution and Climate Mitigation into Roadside Green Infrastructure Projects, January 2023
Citation:
Baldauf, Rich. Integrating Air Pollution and Climate Mitigation into Roadside Green Infrastructure Projects, January 2023. TRB Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, January 08 - 12, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Exposures to traffic-emitted air pollution has been identified as a major public health concern. Using green infrastructure along roadways has been shown to mitigate these air pollution impacts when designed properly. This poster reviews the research and methods used to implement urban green infrastructure as an air pollution mitigation strategies for urban planners and developers
Description:
Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death and illness worldwide according to the World Health Organization. Exposures to air pollution for people who live, work, and go to school near large transportation sources has been shown to be of especially high risk due to the proximity and frequency of these exposures to vehicle emissions. While many roadside green infrastructure projects focus on stormwater management and other ecosystem services, recent research shows that roadside vegetation can also have a significant impact on local air quality as well. This research shows that certain roadside vegetation designs can greatly reduce local air pollution levels by 50% or more; however, other vegetation characteristics can have detrimental effects and deteriorate local air quality. Guidance is needed to support roadside vegetation plantings that do not adversely impact local air quality. In addition, this guidance can be used to promote roadside plantings that improves local air quality while also achieving other ecosystem services including mitigation of greenhouse gases, improved urban cooling, and improved stormwater management. Since many communities located near large transportation facilities are already overburdened by environmental impacts, improved roadside planting designs for air quality and climate benefits will support equitable, sustainable, and safer transportation systems while avoiding unintended consequences and public health concerns from urban green infrastructure projects in these neighborhoods. This poster will review the concerns related to air pollution exposures near transportation sources, previous research on the positive and negative air quality impacts created by roadside vegetation, and design characteristics and opportunities to provide air pollution and climate mitigation benefits. The poster will also review how integrating roadside vegetation with solid structures like noise barriers and fencing can further reduce local air pollution concentrations and avoid some of the potential negative impacts of roadside vegetation alone