Effects of Creating Street Greenery in Urban Pedestrian Roads on Microclimates and Particulate Matter Concentrations

Urbanization can increase artificial coverage rates and emissions by causing increases in traffic, which represents a serious health risk to pedestrians. To create pedestrian-friendly environments in urban canyons, this study examined their microclimates and air quality; methods to improve the pedes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2022-07, Vol.14 (13), p.7887
Main Authors: Jung, Suk Jin, Yoon, Seonghwan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
Air pollution
Air quality
Air quality measurements
Air temperature
Canyons
Emissions
Experiments
Fluid dynamics
Gases
Health risks
Heat
Humidity
Microclimate
Morphology
Outdoor air quality
Particulate emissions
Particulate matter
Pedestrian safety
Pedestrians
Pollutants
Pollution monitoring
Roads
Roads & highways
Simulation
Street canyons
Sustainability
Temperature effects
Thermal stress
Traffic
Trees
Urban areas
Urbanization
Vegetation
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Summary:Urbanization can increase artificial coverage rates and emissions by causing increases in traffic, which represents a serious health risk to pedestrians. To create pedestrian-friendly environments in urban canyons, this study examined their microclimates and air quality; methods to improve the pedestrian environment were also explored, based on the current street green space practices in Seoul, Korea. Under these current standards, the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) of the pedestrian roads was predicted to decrease by 1.29–1.44 °C, but this was insufficient to adjust the thermal stress level. The air temperature of the pedestrian road declined slightly; fine dust concentrations increased, and ozone concentrations decreased. The effects of increasing the planting occupancy on the pedestrian environment were then simulated, which resulted in decreases in PET of 3.04–3.49 °C, depending on the floor area ratio, thereby effectively lowering the thermal stress stage. The particulate matter concentrations increased, however, and the air quality deteriorated. Therefore, street greenery planning alone cannot sufficiently improve both the microclimate and air quality of urban pedestrian roads. Thus, it is necessary to plan street greenery spaces in parallel with measures to improve air quality.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su14137887