Health & urban conditions : impact of urban conditions on health : assessing the effects of the built environment and urban trees on the UHI and pollution

Abstract

Rising temperatures, heat wave frequency, and anthropogenic pollution pose significant challenges to urban dwellers’ health. This study aimed to assess the effects of urban conditions on health in three sites in Barcelona, namely the La Pau neighbourhood, a portion of La Dreta de l’Eixample, and El Barri Gotic. The study focused on morphology, use, Sky View Factor, solar reflection, and trees. The objective was to quantify the impacts of Years of life loss and mortality rate and with the endeavour to improve public health. The study found that land use and tree coverage had varying influences on public health outcomes. The abundance of public spaces in La Pau, with its narrower streets and lower traffic intensity, emerged as a significant contributing factor to better air quality. Tree coverage, estimated at 37.6% of La Pau, showed modest preventable mortality from air quality improvements of harmful pollutants - PM2.5, PM10, and NO2. Trees performed better for heat prevention, with 0.69 C° reduction compared to Barcelona’s average tree cover and 0.5 C° less than La Dreta de l’Eixample as calculated through the mean UHI max of the Summer 2015 and compared with the scientific literature. However, the tree coverage estimated at 14.8% for La Dreta and 4.3% for Gotic had a lower impact on heat and their higher emissions levels. Nevertheless, white roofs were found to reduce heat by up to 2.5 C° in the first site and 1.2 degrees in the second. The study provides valuable insights into the effects of urban conditions on health and the potential for health to be used as a trojan horse for environmental and sustainable urban interventions.