Abstract
Today, the design and remodeling of urban environments is being sought in order to achieve green, healthy, and sustainable cities. The effect of air pollution in cities due to vehicle combustion gases is an important part of the problem. Due to the indirect effect caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, political powers in Europe have imposed confinement measures for citizens by imposing movement restrictions in large cities. This indirect measure has given us a laboratory to show how the reduction in vehicle circulation affects in a short time the levels of air pollution in cities. Therefore, this article analyzes the effect in different European cities such as Milan, Prague, Madrid, Paris, and London. These cities have been chosen due to their large amount of daily road traffic that generates high levels of pollution; therefore, it can clearly show the fall in these pollutants in the air in the analyzed period. The results shown through this study indicate that the reduction in combustion vehicles greatly affects the levels of pollution in different cities. In these periods of confinement, there was an improvement in air quality where pollutant values dropped to 80% compared to the previous year. This should serve to raise awareness among citizens and political powers to adopt measures that induce sustainable transport systems.
Highlights
In Europe, COVID-19 infections rapidly increased in a short period of time [1], presenting a concerning scenario for citizens who faced the impact of the virus
The results from the mobility evolution before, during, and after lockdown trends in European cities and the evolution of airborne pollutants such as PM10 and NO2.is shown in the the following sections; after that, the results fromduring, the pollution study is shownisin
EuropeanTrends countries hard-hit by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
Summary
In Europe, COVID-19 infections rapidly increased in a short period of time [1], presenting a concerning scenario for citizens who faced the impact of the virus. Dispersed in the atmosphere and whose diameter is between 2.5 and 10 μm [6] Those can be really detrimental for most living beings, especially for people who live in large and polluted cities. The lower values of these pollutants in areas such as parks or green landscapes is remarkable, as the air quality remains with a lower pollution concentration in them. This characteristic is responsible for the citizens increasing the usage of green areas, which can be found in developed areas [7] or public places designed by the public infrastructure system of some countries [8]
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