Planning for clean air in China's megacities: linking urban structure and air pollution in Beijing

Abstract

While Beijing is not alone when it comes to smoke-filled skies, this city of more than 20 million people has come to symbolize the environmental cost of China's break-neck economic growth. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution has been a heated topic for discussion that also leads to health concerns greatly. Health studies have shown a significant association between exposure to fine particulates and adverse human health effects, such as respiratory problems and cardiovascular diseases. The sources of PM2.5 could be from burning of coal and biofuel, dust from roads, exhausted gases from vehicles and industrialization. Air quality varies in urban spaces non-linearly and depends on multiple factors, such as meteorology, traffic volume, and land uses. It is of ...