Analyzing the Relationship between the Spatial Configuration of Urban Streets and Air Quality

The traffic volume of Seoul is extremely high in comparison to other major cities in Korea, and the result has been harmful physical and mental exposure to pollution by Seoulites on a regular basis. The street air pollution is more important than the others, because the air pollution generated by street traffic directly impacts the health of nearby pedestrians. This problem requires urgent attention and resolution. Among the factors creating the air pollution originating from the street, is the configuration of streets, which have emerged as the most significant because it is related to air and pollutant dispersion. Therefore, this study was conducted under the assumption that street form affects the air quality. Study sites were classified by street characteristics, and air quality was analyzed in each class. Then the OSPM (Operational Street Pollution Model) was employed to simulate the relationship between street configuration and air quality of streets within the old city center and new city center in Seoul. After that this study analyzed the correlation between air pollution and the spatial configuration of urban streets (ex. street width, building height, building density, etc.) to determine their contributions to air pollution. The outcome of this study is as follows���First, the result that was derived from the correlation analysis between street configuration and air quality showed that the air pollution of the street is influenced by the average height of buildings, width of the roads as well as traffic volume. On the roadside, the concentration level of NO2 is mainly affected by the average height of buildings and the deviation of building height along the street and CO is affected by street width. The outcome of this study can be used as a basis for more sound urban design policies, and the promotion of desirable street environments for pedestrians