Publication
Title
Numerical study on the impact of traffic lane adjustments and low boundary walls on pedestrian exposure to NO2 in street canyons
Author
Abstract
Mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution, especially on human health, is one of the greater contemporary challenges for cities. Street canyons have herein been identified as bottleneck areas in urbanized environments. Focusing on the necessity of fast-response interventions, strategies to control source-receptor pathways (e.g. implementing low boundary walls (LBWs)) are gaining interest. A potential strategy which is greatly overlooked is the adjustment (reduction or displacement) of traffic lanes in order to increase the distance between source (traffic) and recipient (pedestrians). Within our study, computation fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate the impact of alternations to traffic lanes (whether or not combined with LBWs) on the pedestrian exposure to NO2 for a specific case-study (Belgiëlei, Antwerp) under two prevailing wind directions. The average differences in NO2 concentrations for the entire pedestrian area ranged between +1.0 % to −3.6 %. On specific locations, reduction up to −8.0 % were reached. In case of perpendicular winds, a lateral displacement of all traffic lanes towards the windward facade including LBWs was found most beneficial to reduce pedestrian exposure. LBWs also showed to be efficient in reducing potential adverse effects of lane displacement under less frequent wind directions.
Mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution, especially on human health, is one of the greater contemporary challenges for cities. Street canyons have herein been identified as bottleneck areas in urbanized environments. Focusing on the necessity of fast-response interventions, strategies to control source-receptor pathways (e.g. implementing low boundary walls (LBWs)) are gaining interest. A potential strategy which is greatly overlooked is the adjustment (reduction or displacement) of traffic lanes in order to increase the distance between source (traffic) and recipient (pedestrians). Within our study, computation fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate the impact of alternations to traffic lanes (whether or not combined with LBWs) on the pedestrian exposure to NO2 for a specific case-study (Belgie center dot lei, Antwerp) under two prevailing wind directions. The average differences in NO2 concentrations for the entire pedestrian area ranged between +1.0 % to-3.6 %. On specific locations, reduction up to-8.0 % were reached. In case of perpendicular winds, a lateral displacement of all traffic lanes towards the windward facade including LBWs was found most beneficial to reduce pedestrian exposure. LBWs also showed to be efficient in reducing potential adverse effects of lane displacement under less frequent wind directions.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Landscape and urban planning. - Amsterdam
Publication
Amsterdam : 2023
ISSN
0169-2046
DOI
10.1016/J.LANDURBPLAN.2023.104974
Volume/pages
243 (2024) , p. 1-13
Article Reference
104974
ISI
001134403700001
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Operational CFD Model for impact analysis on spatial interventions to improve urban ventilation.
Publication type
Subject
Law 
Art 
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 06.12.2023
Last edited 07.06.2024
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