Regional planning or neighborhood design? curbing air pollution exposure of pedestrians and other road users in urban micro-environments

最近，研究证实了建筑环境、体力活动和肥胖之间存在很强的联系。这导致了一种普遍的理解，即紧凑、混合使用的城市形式可以降低对汽车的依赖，并促进替代交通方式。尽管有利于行人的环境带来了好处，但它们也可能带来风险：虽然紧凑、混合用途的城市形态促进了活跃的交通，但它可能会通过将污染物困在街道峡谷中而减少交通排放的分散，从而放大街道水平的空气污染。拟议的研究计划通过探索实施设计指南和创新的区域政策来解决这一困境，这些政策可以改善街道空气质量，同时保持步行友好型建筑环境所需的建筑密度、活动集中度和交通流量。我们会特别针对以下四个主要目标：

Recently, research has established a strong association between the built environment, physical activity, and obesity. This has led to a general understanding that compact, mixed-use urban form results in lower automobile dependency and promotes alternative modes of transport. Despite the benefits of pedestrian-friendly environments, they could also pose risks: while compact, mixed-use urban form promotes active transportation, it may reduce the dispersion of traffic emissions by trapping pollutants in street canyons thus magnifying street-level air pollution. The proposed research program addresses this dilemma by exploring the implementation of design guidelines and innovative regional policies that improve street-level air quality while maintaining the building density, concentration of activities, and traffic flows that pedestrian-friendly built environments require. In particular, we will address four main objectives: