Car restriction policies for better urban health: a low emission zone in Madrid, Spain
Name
11869_2020_938_ReferencePDF.pdf
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1.97 MB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
4655e72c515f47534c641155a0357785
Author(s)
Lebrusán, Irene
Toutouh, Jamal
Date Issued
September 24, 2020
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Abstract
The design of most cities prioritizes the use of motorized vehicles, having a negative effect on urban health. A major concern in the European Union (EU) is air pollution, especially nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which causes many inhabitants health problems and decreases the quality of life. A non-expensive way to reduce pollutants is implementing road restriction policies, as the creation of low emission zones. In this work, we analyze the case of Madrid Central, a low emission zone deployed in Madrid, Spain. We evaluate if it was effective to reduce air pollutants and if there were a side effect, as pollution displacement, during its application. Drawing on open data, we analyze air quality at different points of the city, before and during the application of this measure. Taking into account the EU directives in terms of what healthy air means, we consider three metrics: (a) the trend of NO2 concentration in the air in both periods, (b) the difference between the NO2 concentration during both periods, and (c) the percentage of time in which the population is exposed to air with NO2 concentration under a specific threshold (healthy air as defined by the EU). According to the results, Madrid Central significantly reduces the NO2 concentration in the air and does not produce pollution displacement. Thus, the population breathes healthy air during more time, and there is a positive effect on the whole city.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-020-00938-z
