Linking urbanization and air quality together: A review and a perspective on the future sustainable urban development

Urbanization is one of the major transformations, along with industrialization and economic development, profoundly impacting human society and its living environment. Among the environmental elements, air quality is one of the most intuitively perceived. Most low-and mid-income countries currently suffer from air pollution, especially in urban areas. This review therefore examined the history of air pollution under different stages of urbanization in typical high-, mid-, and low-income countries and summarized the general understanding of the relationship between urbanization and air pollution to suggest the future development of the trade-off between urbanization and air pollution. Based on the review, we highlighted that the development of precautionary measures against environmental pollution during the process of urbanization. In particular, adequate attention and efficient local practices to control air pollution before the onset of heavy pollution, and local practices for multi-stakeholder satisfaction would allow sustainable urbanization with favourable air quality. We hope this review will provide powerful examples of countries that have considered and acted to balance urbanization and air quality in recent centuries, and thus serve as a reference for countries to design more appropriate actions to fulfil the 11th Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations (UNSDG).

Automated summary

Urbanization, along with industrialization and economic development, has had a profound impact on human society and its living environment. Air quality, as one of the most noticeable environmental factors, is currently a significant issue in urban areas of many low- and mid-income countries. This review examines the history of air pollution during various stages of urbanization in different income countries and provides a general understanding of the relationship between urbanization and air pollution. It suggests the development of preventive measures against environmental pollution during the process of urbanization in order to achieve sustainable urbanization with favorable air quality.