Air Quality and Residential Morphology: A Correlation Study

Abstract

Urbanization leads to the urban air quality deterioration. In low- and middle-income countries, 97% of cities with over 100,000 residents exposed to air pollution level exceeding the WHO air quality guidelines [1]. It has been widely acknowledged that the declined air quality associates with human health and contributes to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, such as heart disease, lung cancer, asthma etc [1]. Previous studies have investigated air quality in regards of both air pollutants and negative air ions, respectively. Most research conventionally focused on the air pollution estimation at a larger regional or city-wide scale to look at the determinants of urban land use planning and landscape pattern on tempo-spatial distribution of air pollution, or aimed at the mechanism of air pollutant ventilation in the local scale urban environments to identify the impacts of urban forms or street morphology on air pollutants dispersion. There have been comparatively little attempts made to testify studies explored the correlation between local-scale morphological parameters and air pollutants concentration at urban sites or street canyons with a high spatial resolution by means of on-site measurements and statistical analysis [2]. In addition to the air pollutants, many scholars have studied the negative air ions concentration and distribution in the forest parks. However, little is known about the causes of negative air ions distribution in the urban areas. The study mainly looks at the negative air ions (NAIs) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in local scale urban settings. This paper introduces a research project in Pingshan, a newly developed satellite district in the east of Shenzhen. Because of integration with landscape, Pingshan is planned to be ecological and healthy living and working distinct. However, the quality of air especially in the newly built residential area has not been investigated. The project focuses on relationship between urban morphology and air quality indicated by NAIs and PM2.5 in three housing estates located in urban fringe, city center and industrial area respectively, and in three vegetation areas near the three residential estates respectively. The research employs on-site monitoring to study and analyze the negative air ions, and PM2.5. The study reveals the impact of location and configuration of urban form on concentration of negative air ions and PM2.5 in spatial and daily temporal variation. 坪山区是深圳东进战略中重点开发的集产业和居住于一体的新区。依托于丰富的自然环境，坪山规划虽致力于打造生态和健康的生活和工作新城，但对环境指数特别是新建住区的形态的健康指数的研究仍然缺乏。本研究对位于市郊、中心市区以及郊野和工业混合区三个住区的形态和空气质量做了相关性研究，针对空气质量中的空气负离子和空气颗粒物（PM2.5），采用现场测量和数据分析方法，得出地域、空间形态与空气负离子以及PM2.5浓度的关系。本研究对 后新冠疫情的住区规划建设的探索特别是对空气质量的评估有一定的借鉴意义。