Effect of urban morphology and greening on noise and air pollution - case studies including disease burden estimates

Paper in proceeding, 2022

Exposure of both noise and air pollution due to road traffic in urban environments has been calculated and evaluated for multiple cases. A model study in an urban setting used 31 cases of building morphologies and traffic concentration. An evaluating second set was based on a real case of an arterial road transformed into a boulevard. Besides the effect of building morphology, the effects of driving speed, electric vehicles and urban greening were studied. The levels of noise exposure (Lden and Lnight at housing façades) and air pollution (NO2 and PM10 at sidewalks and yards) were calculated as input to estimating the health impact using DALY (Disability-Adjusted Life Years). Concluding from the results, the best solution from a noise perspective is closed blocks with green roofs, while the best solution concerning air quality is point buildings or closed blocks with added high towers. Urban greening was shown to improve the noise situation in general whereas air quality varied due to the interaction between wind speed, dispersion, and filtering effect of leaves. Urban planning guidelines were formulated, including also suggestions of traffic concentration by locating all local traffic to a single widened road as well as transitioning to electric vehicles in combination with reduced vehicle speed.