Exploring Design-Based Interventions for Mitigating Public Health Impacts of Urban Air Pollution
Creators: name: Otu, Ekpo
Publisher: name: Lancaster University
Year: 2025

description: 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
 extends this work with 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 a
 statistical regression model. Although pollutant levels decreased by up to
 25%, exposure risks and related health impacts paradoxically rose by up to
 27%, primarily due to increased pedestrian density and residual pollution
 sources. This finding underscores the need for interventions that consider
 both emissions and human daily movement patterns. These studies offer
 scalable, evidence-based tools for identifying air pollution exposure
 hotspots, evaluating policy impacts, 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.