Impact of Different Combinations of Green Infrastructure Elements on Traffic-Related Pollutant Concentrations in Urban Areas

Urban air quality is a major problem for human health and green infrastructure (GI) is one of the potential mitigation measures used. However, the optimum GI design is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to provide some recommendation that could help in the design of the GI (mainly, the selection of locations and characteristics of trees and hedgerows). Aerodynamic and deposition effects of each vegetation element of different GI scenarios are investigated. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of a wide set of GI scenarios in an idealized three-dimensional urban environment are performed. In conclusion, it was found that trees in the middle of the avenue (median strip) reduce street ventilation, and traffic-related pollutant concentrations increase, in particular for streets parallel to the wind. Trees in the sidewalks act as a barrier for pollutants emitted outside, specifically for a 45 degrees wind direction. Regarding hedgerows, the most important effect on air quality is deposition and the effects of green walls and green roofs are limited to their proximity to the building surfaces.

Automated summary

This study uses computational fluid dynamics simulations to investigate the effects of different green infrastructure scenarios on urban air quality. The results show that trees in the middle of the avenue reduce street ventilation and increase traffic-related pollutant concentrations, especially for streets parallel to the wind. Trees on the sidewalks act as a barrier for pollutants emitted outside, particularly for a 45 degrees wind direction. Hedgerows have the most significant impact on air quality through deposition, while the effects of green walls and green roofs are limited to their proximity to building surfaces.