Urban environment defining its nature and problems and developing strategies to overcome

ContentslistsavailableatScienceDirectEnvironmentalPollutionjournalhomepage:www.elsevier.com/locate/envpolIntroductionUrbanenvironment:DefiningitsnatureandproblemsanddevelopingstrategiestoovercomeobstaclestosustainabilityandqualityoflifeMorethanhalfofthepeopleintheworldliveinurbanareas.Thistrendisrapidlyacceleratingindevelopingcountriesaspeopleleavethelandtoseekabetterlifeinurbanandperiurbanareas.Theresultinghugemegaplexesarenotsustainableandexperi-enceproblemswithheatislands,wastemanagement,pollutionandcrowding.Theseproblemshavelargelybeenignoredbyecolo-gistsandenvironmentalscientists.Tobegintoaddresstheneedformorecriticalknowledgeabouturbanenvironmentsandtheprob-lemsresidentsface,250delegatesfrom41countriesmetinBostoninJune,2010,attendingtheconferenceUrbanEnvironmentalPollu-tion:OvercomingObstaclestoSustainabilityandQualityofLife,sponsoredbytheJournalEnvironmentalPollutionanditspublisherElsevier.Theresultingspecialissuecontainsrepresentativesamplesofpaperschosenfromthe45papersand190postersthatwerepresentedattheconference.ProfessorChristopherKennedy,UniversityofToronto,providedanexcellentdetailedoverviewandanalysisofurbanmetabolisminhiskeynoteaddress,settingthestagefortheconference.Acitycanbeconsideredasanorganismwhichrequireswaterandnutrientswhichitthenmetabolizes,utilizesandthenexcretesaswasteprod-ucts.Massflowandfluxanalysescanbeappliedtourbanareasregardingenergyflowinandwasteproductsout.Plantsareasignificantcomponentoftheurbanenvironment.Kowarikmadethecaseforincludingallplantspecies,native,horti-culturalandinvasive,andtheecosystemservicesthattheyinclude,asanewparadigmshift.Belletal.assessedthedirecteffectsofvehicleexhaustonurbanplantspecies,concludingthatNOxwasthekeyphytotoxicant.Markertetal.proposedtheuseofaplantMulti-Markered-Bioindication-Concept(MMBC)todetectatmo-sphericpollutants,usingSaoPaulo,Brazilasanexample.Physicalcomponentsoftheurbanenvironmentincludedassess-mentofthecausesofpollutionofurbanwaterways.Mathewetal.reportedthatpollutionoftheMuddyRiverinBostonwasmoreinfluencedbyinternalloadingfromalgae,sedimentbedandwaterfowl,thanfrompollutionoutfalls.Cairnsetal.,concludedthatindoorairwasamajorsourceofgaseouselementarymercuryinoutdoorairinToronto.Inassessingtheeffectsofparticulatematteronhumansinurbanareas,LevyandHannaconcludedthatinternalurbaninfrastructuredifferencescouldresultininaccuracyinassessingPM2.5.Week-endstreetclosuresinNewYorkCityreducedultrafineparticles.Lagneretal.usedantimonytoassessPM10particulatesinurbanair,usingtheexclusiverelationshipofantimonytoPM10particlesintheair.HighurbanheatlevelsinBangladeshandGermany0269-7491/$–seefrontmatterÓ2011ElsevierLtd.Allrightsreserved.doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2011.04.002increasedmortalityamongtheelderly,asdetailedbyBurkartetal.andGabrielandEndlicher.Riouxetal.havenotedanincreaseinC-reactiveproteinindiabeticsexposedtotraffic.Anindividual-specificairpollutionexposuremethodhasbeendevisedbySchlinkandRagus.Inmovingtowardspollutionmitigationandsustainability,considerableattentionwasgiventotheroleoftreesandassociatedgreenurbanareas.Escobedoetal.providedanoverviewofecosystemservicesanddisservicesprovidedbytreesintheurbanforest.Bothpositive(airpollutionmitigationandcarbondioxidecapture)needtobebalancedagainstemissionsofbiologicalvolatileorganicemissions(BVOCs)thatinfluenceozoneformation.Simp-sonandMcPhersondevelopedaBVOCindextoranktreesandrecommendusinglowemittors.Gromke,usingwindtunnelsimulations,concludedthattreesinmedianstripsandalongstreetsinurbancanyonscanreducenaturalairventilationandincreaseairpollutionlevels.Roweprovidedadetailedoverviewofnatureanduseofgreensroofsforstormwatermanagement,coolingandpollutionabate-ment.Becketal.demonstratedthatadditionofbiochartoincreasewaterretentionandrun-offofnutrients.Theroleoftreesandvegetationinurbanareaslendsitselftomodeling.Wangetal.concludedthatdailytranspirationratesinBeijinginfluencedairtemperature,soiltemperature,andozone.Alonsoetal.demonstratedthatperiurbanforestsreduceozonelevels.Suscaetal.concludedthaturbanvegetationareasinNewYorkCitywere2󰀁Ccoolerthannon-vegetatedareas.GreenareascausecoolinginBeijingandreducecarbonfootprintsaccordingtoLinetal.Yinetal.concludedthatCrownVolumecoveragebytreesandpollutiondispersiondistancewerethekeytoairpollutionattenuationinparksinShanghai.WaterabsorbentpavementsinJapanwereshowntoretainwaterandcontributereductioninurbanheatislandeffects,accord-ingtoNakayamaandHashimoto.Stormwatermanagementcouldbeimprovedbyusingadecentralizedapproach,capturingrainwhereitfallsasshownbySpartarietal.Urbanplannersalsoplayaroleinincreasingurbansustain-ability.LaGrecaetal.proposedintegratingnon-urbanizedareasintourbanareastoincludetheecosystemservicesthattheyprovide.Houetetal.proposethaturbanplannersincludebothwinterandsummerairandsurfacetemperaturesaspartoftheprocessofdevelopingurbanclimatezones.TheconferenceconcludedwithaverypositiveandencouragingpresentationbyLindaDavies,creatorandleaderofProjectOPAL1964Introduction/EnvironmentalPollution159(2011)1963–1964

(OpenAirLaboratories)atImperialCollege,London.Theprojectbringsscientistsintothefieldtoinvestigaterealenvironmentalissuesincollaborationwithinterestedstudentsandadults.UEP2010brokenewgroundsimplybecauseitwasthefirsttimethatameetingofitskindwasheld.Withtheinformationpresented,delegatesfrommanybackgroundsbegantoseeissuesindifferentperspectivesandalargerworldviewemerged.Delegates,espe-ciallystudents,wereveryenthusiasticaboutthenature,contents,andresultsofthisconference.Realizingthatthisconferencewasjustthebeginningtoaddressingkeyissues,manyinquiredaboutwhenthenextconference,UEP2012,wouldbeheld.Thisshouldbedecidedsoon.WilliamJ.Manning,Editor-in-ChiefEnvironmentalPollutionDepartmentofPlant,SoilandInsectSciences,FernaldHall,270StockbridgeRoad,UniversityofMassachusetts,Amherst,Massachusetts010039320,USAE-mailaddress:environmentalpollution@mindspring.com