As many Americans move toward big-city cores and population density surges, housing and infill developments are wedging into every nook and cranny of urban topography—including in long-neglected pockets right next to freeways and busy commuter routes. Going urban is often pitched as a healthier way of living because these infill developments cut commute times and encourage biking, walking, and other transit options. But, as California Air Resources Board (CARB) chairwoman Mary Nichols has cautioned, that might not always be the case.
“The health benefits of denser urban neighborhoods can be reduced if they are built close to congested highways,” she said. That’s why the organization has collaborated with the California governor’s office on a guide regarding how developers and cities can help protect public health next to the highway.
CARB’s suggested strategies, all from peer-reviewed scientific literature and research projects, fall into two categories: reduce the pollution coming from vehicles, and reduce the pollution in the air people breathe.
California is already working on cutting what’s coming from vehicle tailpipes, with the state’s Advanced Clean Cars program and its stringent zero-emission-vehicle (ZEV) standards, which will require increasing numbers of plug-in hybrid, all-electric, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles by 2025.
Roundabouts and Greenery
Chalk up another victory for those who love roundabouts; they’re cited as a way to reduce pollution from idling vehicles. Other effective methods for cleaning up the air people near highways breathe include building sound walls with vegetation and adding air filters to buildings.
If you commute directly through traffic-clogged areas, keeping your windows closed and using the climate control could be your best bet. A recent study from the University of Surrey, in the U.K., found that those who use walking and mass transit are subjected to more particulate matter—one type of hazardous pollution—than those who commute in vehicles. And a 2014 U.S. study found that levels of nitrogen dioxide—one of the pollutants at the center of Volkswagen’s diesel scandal—could be cut by 75 percent with cabin systems that incorporate an active charcoal filter.
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