Urban form and atmospheric pollution: Assessing impacts in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

As cities have increased their role in concentrating the world's population, they have also become critical sources of pollution. This article investigates the possible impacts of urban form on air pollutant concentrations. Given the nascent state of this research field in urban studies in Brazil, we start with a panoramic view of the problem. Then the paper discusses the state of the art on interactions between pollution, natural elements and climate conditions; explores some air pollution impacts on humans and the environment, and the literature on relations between air quality and urban form, pointing to a general lack of research in the field. It suggests a way of modeling and testing these relation in a case study in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It does so exploring statistical methods to understand the distribution of key urban pollutants, namely sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matters (PM); along with morphological variables (ground space index and building verticality); and meteorological factors (wind direction and speed, rainfall and air temperature). Results point to grades of influence of the ground space index and building verticality on pollutants concentration and suggest new avenues for empirical and methodological work.