Reduction of Air Pollution Potential through Environmental Planning

Abstract

Amelioration of the air pollution problem, whether the result of mobile or stationary source emissions, will depend primarily upon mechanical controls and fuel and process changes. Urban and transportation planning, however, may provide supplementary means for reducing both emissions of pollutants and the exposure of persons to undesirably high ambient concentrations. The body of information in this paper is directed to the planners and policy-makers whose decisions influence the nature of our environment. Three general areas are identified in which the policies, plans, and standards developed by environmental planners influence the air pollution problem :

1.	Long-term, large-scale urban planning involving entire or substantial parts of metropolitan areas.
2.	Design and operation of transportation systems.
3.	Location, design, and construction of individual roadways and structures.

In each of these three areas, the Air Pollution Control Office has initiated projects that will assist planners in evaluating the air pollution implications of their activities. One study estimates motor vehicle emissions for two alternative metropolitan land use plans proposed for the Puget Sound Region. Because land-use patterns differ, the location and intensity of transportation demands also differ. Total motor vehicle pollutant emissions are found to vary appreciably between the two plans. A second study measures the variation in pollutant concentrations at various vertical and horizontal distances from existing roadways. Relationships are being established between meteorological factors, traffic flow characteristics, and pollutant concentrations that will assist in predicting the environmental impact of proposed roadways.