Abstract
Over the past decades, industrialization has resulted in radical economic development in Korea. The resulting urban sprawl and unsustainable development have led to considerable air pollution. In this study, using spatial regression models, we examine the effects of the physical and socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods on particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), NO2, CO, and SO2 concentrations in the Daegu Metropolitan area. Results reveal the following: (i) the socioeconomic characteristics were not statistically significant regardless of the air pollutant type; (ii) the effects of the built environment characteristics of the neighborhoods were different for each air pollutant. Compared with other pollutants, PM2.5 was affected more by the built environment. Concerning the neighborhoods’ main roads, the SO2 concentration was higher, that of PM2.5 was higher in neighborhoods with more bus stops, and those of CO and PM2.5 were possibly higher in the neighborhood of industrial zones. In neighborhoods with parks and green areas, air pollutant concentrations are likely to be lower. When the total used surface of residential buildings was higher, the air pollutant concentrations were lower. Contextually, similar neighborhoods with more single-family houses seemed to have high pollution levels. Overall, this study is expected to guide policymakers and planners in making smart decisions for eco-friendly and healthy cities.
Highlights
Industrialization has led to major economic development in Korea over the past decades
The spatial regression models were more suitable than the ordinary leastsquares (OLS) model because the statistical significance of both the spatial lag model (SLM) and spatial error model (SEM) models was obtained from the Lagrange multiplier (LM) test for selecting the optimal model
Unlike some previous studies [36,39] that did not consider the spatial autocorrelation, these results indicate that the spatial regression model that can control the spatial autocorrelation should be used to consider the spatial properties of air pollutants
Summary
Industrialization has led to major economic development in Korea over the past decades. Various studies aimed at reducing air pollution have been conducted to achieve a sustainable urban environment [3,4,5,6,7]. Despite these efforts, air pollution is still a serious problem in many developed and developing countries worldwide for various reasons, including the use of fossil fuels and the increasing use of automobiles [8]. Many studies aiming at reducing air pollution have been conducted in Korea [11,12,13,14,15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
