Strategies to live with and mitigate against air pollution in the Dwight neighborhood


Strategies can be sorted into two buckets. “Living with” and “Mitigating”. How do we live with the current state of air pollution in Dwight? How do we develop practical solutions at several scales that work to reduce air pollution?

  1. Living with Pollution. Use real time monitoring and education to reduce the hourly and daily impact of low air quality, especially on groups most susceptible.
    1. Deploy air quality monitoring devices: Use historical air quality data captured locally to argue for the improvements above.   
    2. Provide education around air quality: Finding ways to education about the ways in which air quality is measured, such as the Air Quality Index (AQI) and what kinds of actions should be taken by individuals, groups and communities. 
    3. Encourage energy efficient homes: Encourage energy efficiency in homes so that windows can be closed on days with the AQI exceeds recommended levels and residents stay home.
    4. Use historical air quality data captured locally to argue for the improvements above.   

  1. Mitigate Pollution.
    1. Reduce pollution from vehicles. Gas-powered vehicles are responsible for up to 70% of environmental pollution. Strategies can be put in place that encourage alternative forms of transportation.
Improve walking routes: Make improvements to the public realm in order to make pedestrians more comfortable and safe.  Reduce crossing distances and traffic speeds through street section interventions. Plant trees and provide cooling shelters at intervals along streets to reduce sun exposure. Keep sidewalks in good repair. Use traffic tables for crossings to ensure accessibility for people of different abilities.    

                                                            ii.     Improve cycling routes: Create safe, separated bicycle lanes connected in networks to appropriate destinations, to encourage commuting by bicycle. Provide secure bicycles storage in destination areas, like around the hospital and grocery. Encourage inclusion of bicycle storage solutions for any new or renovated residential project. Provide cycling education and helmets. Encourage local bicycle share programs.  

                                                          iii.     Provide options for e-bikes. Encourage the use of E-bikes for commuting. Make residents aware of state level rebate and incentive programs for purchase of e-bikes. Encourage inclusion of bicycle storage solutions for any new or renovated residential project. Encourage local e-bike share programs.    

                                                          iv.     Improve Public Transit. Encourage use of public transit by locating stops in high demand locations. Provide attractive, well-maintained shelters.

                                                            v.     Electrification. Advocate for electrification of the full range of vehicles: school buses, ambulances, regional buses, and private cars. Provide appropriately located charging stations throughout the neighborhood.
    1. Encourage energy efficiency and electrification of buildings.  Household, commercial and institutional buildings burn fuel for heat, which contributes to pollution.  

                                          i.    Discourage burning of biomass fuels, including wood, wood pellets, etc.

                                        ii.    Reduce energy usage by encouraging homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements. Consider partnering with programs like NHS’s “I Heart My Home” program

                                      iii.    Produce power locally by encouraging roof-mounted solar arrays on buildings.

                                      iv.    Encourage building owners to improve energy efficiency with strategies that also reduce heat island effect–high albedo roofing, light colored finishes. 

                                        v.    Use trees to improve energy efficiency by taking advantage of seasonal coverage.   
    1. Expand green space and the tree canopy. Improving, repairing, and expanding green space and street trees can help reduce pollution levels in the air.

                                          i.    Restore the street tree canopy throughout the neighborhood, but especially on high traffic streets. Inventory and maintain trees on a regular schedule to keep the canopy in good repair. Choose hearty urban trees resistant to urban tree blights. 

                                        ii.    Encourage homeowners to plant trees and other vegetation on their personal property.

                                      iii.    Concentrate trees and vegetative barriers along corridors with higher concentrations of air pollution–for instance along Whalley, the Boulevard, etc.
  1. Leverage investments in the built environment to do double duty. Make sure any investment in the built environment can perform multiple roles and satisfy multiple needs.  For instance: street trees reduce air pollution, reduce heat-island effect, increase attractiveness and therefore for pride and satisfaction of living in the neighborhood, increase biodiversity and provide habitat, reduce flooding, etc.  Bicycle lanes reduce reliance on cars and also encourage a healthy lifestyle and may also create local jobs (bicycle repair shops).  

Deploy integrated design thinking. Confirm that any improvement in the built environment integrates with various priorities rather than addressing them one by one; Make sure projects integrate with each other so that the result is greater than the sum of parts.


© Yale Urban Design Workshop 2024

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