URBAN STRUCTURE AND AIR QUALITY: IS THERE A CONNECTION? *

Urban areas show increasing signs of environmental stress, being one of the major concerns the quality of air. This paper focuses on the potential impacts of different spatial structures on urban air quality. Imaginary cities were created considering alternative city structures: from urban sprawl to the opposite compact city with mixed land use. A mesoscale photochemical system was applied to evaluate urban air quality in each city structures. Results show that compact cities with mixed land use reduce air vehicle travel and promote a better urban air quality. 1