IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

Urbanization of the cities, population growth, and human behavior has caused degradation of the ecosystem, in which air pollution is a prominent threat to global society. Today, Air quality is closely linked to climate change, environmental crisis, equity, and social justice. As a result, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 has risen from the preindustrial value of 280 ppm to 401 ppm in 2015 from which buildings are responsible for 35% of global energy emissions. According to the WHO data, 99% of the global population is breathing polluted air that exceeds WHO guideline limits. Long-term exposure to polluted air causes premature death, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions. Especially, in highly dense urban areas, there is lack of access to public open spaces and cleaner air. In order to improve human well-being and their quality of life and it’s critical to address air pollution issues immediately. This study examines the effect of the vegetation on the air quality and Co2 levels, inside and outside of public parks in New York city. For this study, several parks were selected Madison Square park, Stuyvesant Square Park; Theodore Roosevelt Park, and several areas in Central Park with their difference in size and type of vegetation covers. Using Testo 400 – Universal Air Flow and IAQ measuring device, this study investigates air quality levels and differences in CO2 levels in the park and withing 2 miles in the highly dense area without green cover. Furthermore, this study suggests providing Photoromediation outdoor spaces in the highly-dense areas that can help with Co2 reduction benefiting humans’ well-being with cleaner air and biophilic qualities.