TY - BOOK

T1 - Exploring Design-Based Interventions for Mitigating Public Health Impacts of Urban Air Pollution

AU - Otu, Ekpo

PY - 2025/4

Y1 - 2025/4

N2 - Air pollution is a critical public health risk, responsible for approximately 6.5 million premature deaths globally each year, largely in urban areas with high traffic-related emissions. While it affects entire populations, it disproportionately harms vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly. In the UK, a significant proportion of the population lives in areas exceeding even the least-stringent World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. This thesis investigates how urban design can help mitigate people’s risks of exposure to harmful air pollutants at street level, particularly in locations where sensitive populations concentrate, such as schools, town centres, and playgrounds. The research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating behavioural science, rhythmanalysis, and atmospheric science to develop relatively minor yet impactful urban design solutions aimed at reducing exposure risk. It applies novel methods to change our local built environments and behaviours, considering the interaction between everyday life rhythms and air pollution exposure risk. Three case studies across UK locations contribute to a broader framework for understanding, qualifying, and reducing population exposure risk. The first study introduces the Air Pollution Exposure Risk Index (APEI), a metric that integrates air quality data (NO₂ and PM₁₀) with population flow indicators, such as bus timetables and pedestrian counts. This tool captures the dynamic interaction between pollution levels and urban rhythms to identify when and where people face the greatest exposure risks. Applied in Lancaster (Cable Street and Dalton Square), the APEI revealed seasonal and spatial differences in exposure risk, offering practical insights for urban planners and policymakers involved in Air Quality Management. The second study investigates participatory approaches in four highly polluted London primary schools (Christ Church Bendick School, Grange Primary School, St. Paul’s Primary School, and Sunny Hill Primary School), using environmental education activities, including student-led air quality workshops and field campaigns to raise awareness, promote behavioural change, and empower children to identify local pollution sources and co-develop mitigation strategies. Applying the APEI framework with participatory monitoring data, participating students identified local exposure risks and proposed mitigation strategies to their peers, school leadership and local councils. The results showed improvements in understanding, environmental behaviours, and community engagement, demonstrating the potential of data-driven, participatory interventions. The third study builds on this work by introducing the Air Pollution Exposure Health Index (APEHI), a tool designed to assess the health impacts of urban interventions. In Lancaster, three traffic-reduction scenarios were analysed using regression modelling. It was found that while pollutant levels decreased by up to 25% in most scenarios, exposure risks and related health impacts paradoxically increased by as much as 27%, largely due to higher pedestrian density and residual pollution sources. This finding highlights the need for interventions that account for both emissions and population dynamics. Collectively, these studies offer scalable, evidence-based tools for identifying air pollution exposure hotspots, evaluating policy effectiveness, and empowering communities. Overall, the thesis presents a new framework for integrating exposure risk into urban planning and highlights the importance of behavioural and participatory approaches. By shifting the focus from emission reduction alone to how people live, move, and interact with their environment, the work contributes to more equitable and resilient urban health strategies.

AB - Air pollution is a critical public health risk, responsible for approximately 6.5 million premature deaths globally each year, largely in urban areas with high traffic-related emissions. While it affects entire populations, it disproportionately harms vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly. In the UK, a significant proportion of the population lives in areas exceeding even the least-stringent World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. This thesis investigates how urban design can help mitigate people’s risks of exposure to harmful air pollutants at street level, particularly in locations where sensitive populations concentrate, such as schools, town centres, and playgrounds. The research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating behavioural science, rhythmanalysis, and atmospheric science to develop relatively minor yet impactful urban design solutions aimed at reducing exposure risk. It applies novel methods to change our local built environments and behaviours, considering the interaction between everyday life rhythms and air pollution exposure risk. Three case studies across UK locations contribute to a broader framework for understanding, qualifying, and reducing population exposure risk. The first study introduces the Air Pollution Exposure Risk Index (APEI), a metric that integrates air quality data (NO₂ and PM₁₀) with population flow indicators, such as bus timetables and pedestrian counts. This tool captures the dynamic interaction between pollution levels and urban rhythms to identify when and where people face the greatest exposure risks. Applied in Lancaster (Cable Street and Dalton Square), the APEI revealed seasonal and spatial differences in exposure risk, offering practical insights for urban planners and policymakers involved in Air Quality Management. The second study investigates participatory approaches in four highly polluted London primary schools (Christ Church Bendick School, Grange Primary School, St. Paul’s Primary School, and Sunny Hill Primary School), using environmental education activities, including student-led air quality workshops and field campaigns to raise awareness, promote behavioural change, and empower children to identify local pollution sources and co-develop mitigation strategies. Applying the APEI framework with participatory monitoring data, participating students identified local exposure risks and proposed mitigation strategies to their peers, school leadership and local councils. The results showed improvements in understanding, environmental behaviours, and community engagement, demonstrating the potential of data-driven, participatory interventions. The third study builds on this work by introducing the Air Pollution Exposure Health Index (APEHI), a tool designed to assess the health impacts of urban interventions. In Lancaster, three traffic-reduction scenarios were analysed using regression modelling. It was found that while pollutant levels decreased by up to 25% in most scenarios, exposure risks and related health impacts paradoxically increased by as much as 27%, largely due to higher pedestrian density and residual pollution sources. This finding highlights the need for interventions that account for both emissions and population dynamics. Collectively, these studies offer scalable, evidence-based tools for identifying air pollution exposure hotspots, evaluating policy effectiveness, and empowering communities. Overall, the thesis presents a new framework for integrating exposure risk into urban planning and highlights the importance of behavioural and participatory approaches. By shifting the focus from emission reduction alone to how people live, move, and interact with their environment, the work contributes to more equitable and resilient urban health strategies.

U2 - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/2737

DO - 10.17635/lancaster/thesis/2737

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

PB - Lancaster University

ER -