Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growth
This study examines the environmental impacts of urban growth in Warsaw since 2006 and models the implications of future urban development for traffic pollutant emissions and pollution levels. Our findings demonstrate that, over the past two decades, urban sprawl has resulted in decreases in accessi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Environment International |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000613 |
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| author | Susana Lopez-Aparicio Henrik Grythe Arkadiusz Drabicki Konrad Chwastek Kamila Toboła Lidia Górska-Niemas Urszula Kierpiec Miha Markelj Joanna Strużewska Bartosz Kud Gabriela Sousa Santos |
| author_facet | Susana Lopez-Aparicio Henrik Grythe Arkadiusz Drabicki Konrad Chwastek Kamila Toboła Lidia Górska-Niemas Urszula Kierpiec Miha Markelj Joanna Strużewska Bartosz Kud Gabriela Sousa Santos |
| author_sort | Susana Lopez-Aparicio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examines the environmental impacts of urban growth in Warsaw since 2006 and models the implications of future urban development for traffic pollutant emissions and pollution levels. Our findings demonstrate that, over the past two decades, urban sprawl has resulted in decreases in accessibility to public transport, social services, and natural areas. We analyse CO2 traffic emissions, NO2 concentrations, and population exposure across urban areas in future scenarios of further sprawling or alternative compacting land-use development. Results indicate that a compact future scenario reduces transport CO2 emissions and urban NO2 levels, though increases in population density raise exposure to air pollution. A sprawl future scenario increases CO2 and NOx emissions due to longer commutes and congestion, and NO2 levels increase up to 25% in parts of the city. Several traffic abatement strategies were simulated, and in all simulations a compact city consistently yields the largest reductions in CO2 emissions and NO2 levels, implying that the best abatement strategy for combating negative consequences of sprawl is to reduce sprawling. In both city layouts, network-wide improvements of public transport travel times gave significantly reduced emissions. Combined, our findings highlight the importance of co-beneficial urban planning strategies to balance CO2 emissions reduction, and air pollution exposure in expanding cities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8ab68130b334d4b9e7ae485ff2bb89a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0160-4120 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environment International |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8ab68130b334d4b9e7ae485ff2bb89a2025-02-06T05:10:58ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202025-02-01196109310Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growthSusana Lopez-Aparicio0Henrik Grythe1Arkadiusz Drabicki2Konrad Chwastek3Kamila Toboła4Lidia Górska-Niemas5Urszula Kierpiec6Miha Markelj7Joanna Strużewska8Bartosz Kud9Gabriela Sousa Santos10NILU, 2027, Kjeller, Norway; Corresponding author.NILU, 2027, Kjeller, NorwayChair of Transport Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 80333, Munich, Germany; Department of Transportation Systems, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155, Krakow, Poland; Gradiens Sp.z o. o., 25-663, Kielce, PolandDepartment of Transportation Systems, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155, Krakow, Poland; Gradiens Sp.z o. o., 25-663, Kielce, PolandGradiens Sp.z o. o., 25-663, Kielce, PolandDepartment of Transportation Systems, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155, Krakow, Poland; Gradiens Sp.z o. o., 25-663, Kielce, PolandGradiens Sp.z o. o., 25-663, Kielce, PolandNILU, 2027, Kjeller, NorwayInstitute of Environmental Protection-National Research Institute, Warsaw, PolandGradiens Sp.z o. o., 25-663, Kielce, PolandNILU, 2027, Kjeller, NorwayThis study examines the environmental impacts of urban growth in Warsaw since 2006 and models the implications of future urban development for traffic pollutant emissions and pollution levels. Our findings demonstrate that, over the past two decades, urban sprawl has resulted in decreases in accessibility to public transport, social services, and natural areas. We analyse CO2 traffic emissions, NO2 concentrations, and population exposure across urban areas in future scenarios of further sprawling or alternative compacting land-use development. Results indicate that a compact future scenario reduces transport CO2 emissions and urban NO2 levels, though increases in population density raise exposure to air pollution. A sprawl future scenario increases CO2 and NOx emissions due to longer commutes and congestion, and NO2 levels increase up to 25% in parts of the city. Several traffic abatement strategies were simulated, and in all simulations a compact city consistently yields the largest reductions in CO2 emissions and NO2 levels, implying that the best abatement strategy for combating negative consequences of sprawl is to reduce sprawling. In both city layouts, network-wide improvements of public transport travel times gave significantly reduced emissions. Combined, our findings highlight the importance of co-beneficial urban planning strategies to balance CO2 emissions reduction, and air pollution exposure in expanding cities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000613Sprawl developmentCO2 emissionsNO2 concentrationTraffic emissionsPopulation exposureLand use changes |
| spellingShingle | Susana Lopez-Aparicio Henrik Grythe Arkadiusz Drabicki Konrad Chwastek Kamila Toboła Lidia Górska-Niemas Urszula Kierpiec Miha Markelj Joanna Strużewska Bartosz Kud Gabriela Sousa Santos Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growth Environment International Sprawl development CO2 emissions NO2 concentration Traffic emissions Population exposure Land use changes |
| title | Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growth |
| title_full | Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growth |
| title_fullStr | Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growth |
| title_short | Environmental sustainability of urban expansion: Implications for transport emissions, air pollution, and city growth |
| title_sort | environmental sustainability of urban expansion implications for transport emissions air pollution and city growth |
| topic | Sprawl development CO2 emissions NO2 concentration Traffic emissions Population exposure Land use changes |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000613 |
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