Urban Transportation and Air Pollution

Book excerpt: Urban Transportation and Air Pollution synthesizes state-of-the-art methods on estimating near-road concentrations of roadway emissions. The book provides the information needed to make estimates using methods based on a minimal set of model inputs that can be applied by a wide range of users in many situations. Discussions include methods to estimate traffic emission under numerous urban driving conditions, the uncertainty of emission models, and the effects of road configurations, such as near-road solid barriers. Final sections present dispersion models that link traffic emissions with near road concentrations in urban environments. Addressing transportation-related environmental issues is extremely important as urban areas are constantly searching for ways to mitigate impacts from transportation sources. This book helps to explain dispersion models, a critical tool for estimating the impact of roadway emissions in cities. - Compiles and synthesizes the state-of-the-science methods for estimating roadway emissions - Demonstrates, with clear examples, how modeling methods reduce uncertainties in real-world problems - Emphasizes how local-scale, semi-empirical, steady-state modeling can be applied using only a small set of inputs - Offers an overview of the meteorology that governs air pollution dispersion in cities