Schools, Air Pollution, and Active Transportation: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Calgary, Canada.

Stefania Bertazzon,Rizwan Shahid

doi:10.3390/ijerph14080834

Abstract

An exploratory spatial analysis investigates the location of schools in Calgary (Canada) in relation to air pollution and active transportation options. Air pollution exhibits marked spatial variation throughout the city, along with distinct spatial patterns in summer and winter; however, all school locations lie within low to moderate pollution levels. Conversely, the study shows that almost half of the schools lie in low walkability locations; likewise, transitability is low for 60% of schools, and only bikability is widespread, with 93% of schools in very bikable locations. School locations are subsequently categorized by pollution exposure and active transportation options. This analysis identifies and maps schools according to two levels of concern: schools in car-dependent locations and relatively high pollution; and schools in locations conducive of active transportation, yet exposed to relatively high pollution. The findings can be mapped and effectively communicated to the public, health practitioners, and school boards. The study contributes with an explicitly spatial approach to the intra-urban public health literature. Developed for a moderately polluted city, the methods can be extended to more severely polluted environments, to assist in developing spatial public health policies to improve respiratory outcomes, neurodevelopment, and metabolic and attention disorders in school-aged children.

Highlights

The association between air pollution and adverse health effects is well documented in the literature [1,2,3]
School location represented by the walkability score, as no score, as nosymbols explicit school symbolstowere added to the maps
An exploratory analysis of school location with respect to air pollution and active transportation options was conducted for the city of Calgary, Canada

Summary

Introduction

The association between air pollution and adverse health effects is well documented in the literature [1,2,3]. Air pollution exposure at early ages may have even more serious effects, triggering the onset of environmental allergies [4,5]. Residential location, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status are only some of the factors that contribute to an individual’s exposure. Complex interactions across a large variety of factors occur mostly over space, within and beyond cities. Known as spatial thinking in the social and health sciences [6,7], this approach has come to the forefront in several disciplines, as it can cast new light on location and spatial interactions

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion