Sustainable Cities and Communities by Emily Gonzalez

Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 04:10:18 UTC

I chose this goal because I personally find urban planning/design very interesting and I'm curious as to how we would go about integrating environmentally sustainable architecture and energy sources into our cities.

Targets for #11

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 06:21:21 UTC

Some of the goals on the UN website include:

-Safe and Affordable Housing

-Affordable and Sustainable Transportation

-Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization

-Protecting Culture and Heritage

-Mitigating Natural Disasters

-Reducing the Environmental Impact of Cities

-Providing Safe and Inclusive Green Public Spaces

-National and Regional Development

-Inclusion, Resource Efficiency, and Disaster Reduction

-Support Developing Countries in Sustainable Development

Air Pollution is Worsening

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 06:45:52 UTC

Towns are now experiencing air quality worse than that of cities in East and South-East Asia. This data point seemed off to me though, so I decided looked into what the exact statistics were on the situation.

Beijing's Air Pollution Levels

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 06:46:34 UTC

As for the air pollution of Asian cities, "Beijing’s peak average daily AQI in 2020 reached 262, which the EPA considers very unhealthy." For reference, the range for good air quality is 0 - 50, and a satisfactory range is 50-100, and 100-200 being in the moderate level.

The Air Pollution of Cities vs. Towns

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 06:47:21 UTC

I found that, "the concentrations in SPs ranged from 17.08 to 35.63 μg m⁻³ in cities, from 16.09 to 34.00 μg m⁻³ in towns, and from 15.90 to 28.78 μg m⁻³ in rural areas." Making their levels not that far off comparatively.

Beijing Air Quality Actually Used to Be Worse

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 07:00:37 UTC

According to government records, "particle pollution in Beijing reduced by more than 60% over the 10 years from 2013 to the end of 2022, it is still six times greater than the World Health Organization guidelines." So whilst the air quality still doesn't meet WHO standards, there's still a show of improvement from the previous decade.

Worst Air Polluted Cities in the World

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 07:07:18 UTC

I became curious as to what other cities were regarded as having the worst air quality. I found that nearly all of the top ranked cities on the list resided in Asia, with African cities being dispersed throughout the list, and the bottom portion of the list consisting of cities from the West. (Houston actually appears on it at roughly #75 as the air quality fluctuates.)

Air Pollution in Asia

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 16:03:17 UTC

Asian cities have some of the worse air pollution across the board, eclipsing African and Western cities by their sheer volume. The Asian continent is home to the majority of the world's population, yet around 92% of it's population, totaling 4 billion people, are subject to these horrible levels of air quality.

Air Pollution in Africa

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 16:10:14 UTC

Across the board, Africa has some the worst air pollution spanning across the entire continent, with "about 236,000 newborns [dying] within the first month of life from air pollution exposure, with 80% of those coming from HAP." This air pollution is likely one of the biggest reasons Africa's mortality, and especially child mortality rates are so high. The exact statistics state that "air pollution is the third largest risk factor for deaths in children under the age of 5, after malnutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) in Sub-Saharan Africa."

The Negative Health Effects of Air Pollution

s1778036 — 2025-01-16 16:35:33 UTC

Whilst the harm from air pollution is not immediate, the accumulation and prolonged exposure of it has been linked to damage to our bodily systems, worsening preexisting health conditions, and death within the elderly. These sources of pollution primarily come from industry buildings, transportation that use fossil fuels, forest fires, radiation, and aerosols.

Air Pollution in Europe

s1778036 — 2025-01-17 07:34:19 UTC

Despite having better air quality in comparison to continents like Asia and Africa, air pollution still serves at the largest environmental health risk in Europe. The elderly and those with preexisting health conditions such as asthma are especially at risk populations for this issue. Air quality in Europe is at it's worst in Eastern Europe, with Western Europe having moderate to good conditions, and the Nordic countries having extremely good air quality.

Air Pollution in Latin America

s1778036 — 2025-01-17 07:41:18 UTC

Whilst being better off than many other continents in terms of air quality, Latin America still suffers from the effects of air pollution and suffer the typical consequences that come from it. (Eg. Risk to the elderly, worsening health conditions, and premature death.) Most of this air pollution is generated from the industrialization and urbanization that utilize energy sources such as fossil fuels that contribute to the generation of smog and contaminated air.

Air Pollution Harms the Brain

s1778036 — 2025-01-17 07:47:05 UTC

One of the lesser talked about consequences of air pollution is arguably the effects it has on our mental health. Through inhaling higher than average amounts of polluted air, the parts of our brain responsible for emotional regulation are physically changed and disrupted, limiting our ability to properly manage our own thoughts and feelings.

The Causes of Air Pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa

s1778036 — 2025-01-17 07:55:26 UTC

Due to Africa being home to so many developing countries, the biggest contributor to its poor air quality, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, is the burning of fossil fuels and industrial activities. As these countries don't have access to wide-scale, affordable sustainable energy sources, their desires to gain economic growth go against the need to solve the more long term consequences of poor air quality. You've probably heard it a million times over, but fossil fuels are the main contributor to air pollution across the entire globe, researching 50 more articles isn't going to change that fact.

Economic Output vs. Environmental Policy

s1778036 — 2025-01-21 06:45:07 UTC

Even though one of the main concerns regarding environmental policies being the slowing of economic growth and urbanization, it has been shown through studies that air pollution policies are able to effectively reduce air emissions without stunting or disrupting economic growth; this hereby supports that these two goals are in fact compatible with each other and should not be overlooked.

Air Pollution and Its Detriment to Solar Power

s1778036 — 2025-01-21 07:40:34 UTC

Even with efforts that aim to make our cities more sustainable, current levels of air pollution, such as that in Delhi are so great that they cause energy solar power to be less effective due to the haze and smog created from air pollution dispersing the sunrays needed in order to efficiently use solar power.

Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease in Africa

s1778036 — 2025-01-21 07:44:23 UTC

Whilst the data is currently limited, research has shown at least a passive connection to air pollution and Africa's growing cases of death caused by cardiovascular diseases.

Tiny Robots and AI Solution?

s1778036 — 2025-01-21 08:03:15 UTC

Some scientists have suggested the use of photocatalysts in order to break down air pollutants. However, due to their limitations, materials such as hybrid perovskites have been suggested as alternative to photocatalysts, being tested through the use of AI algorithms and precise robots in order to test out their variations and effects.

Project Proposal

s1778036 — 2025-01-21 08:06:47 UTC

I think I want to research air pollution which must be addressed to reach Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. I will focus on urban areas in Asia and new technology being worked on to combat air pollution.

I want to research this because I find that air pollution is an issue that can be delved into a lot because of its interconnectivity with a variety of other issues and topics.

Research Question #1 (Chosen)

s1778036 — 2025-01-23 16:13:09 UTC

How does the urban planning of metropolitan cities in China effect the accumulation of air pollution?

Research Question #2

s1778036 — 2025-01-23 16:14:23 UTC

What can be done to protect children from the effects of air pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Research Question #3

s1778036 — 2025-01-23 16:16:49 UTC

What conditions allow Nordic countries such as Iceland to maintain exceptional air quality?

Challenges Ahead

s1778036 — 2025-02-06 06:14:24 UTC

The second article I found on my topic

Innovative Urban Design

s1778036 — 2025-02-06 06:33:40 UTC

The first article I found on my topic