TRaffic model for better Air Quality policies in cities

Introduction

Air pollution is the single largest environmental health risk in the EU. A significant portion of the EU population is exposed to exceedances of air quality (AQ) standards. CityTRAQ will tackle this problem in Flanders and collate all relevant AQ-related information into a single, coherent view on local AQ. This interactive view will guide cities and municipalities in exploring their local domain, identifying local hotspots, and supporting problem definition.

Policy Options and Scenario Tools

Connecting problem assessment to actual policy options, CityTRAQ will provide scenario tools to quantify both mobility and emission-driven interventions. This allows policymakers to work out appropriate measures to improve the situation and map out their effects in terms of air pollution. CityTRAQ’s governance and information system will hence drive the local policy cycle.

Case Studies and Local Plans

All city partners in the project will explore these features through cases on the implementation of measures influencing traffic flow and/or emissions, resulting in optimized local air quality plans. Partner cities will explore actions to improve AQ and influence traffic flows through a participatory approach.

Community Involvement

Citizens and schools will be closely involved in AQ and traffic monitoring, raising awareness to affect behavioral change. Monitoring activities will focus on the evolution of AQ in the city use cases in which traffic and air quality measures are being implemented, such as:

1. Heavy traffic/bus routes
2. Neighborhood traffic plans
3. School streets

Action Plan Development

Together with all partners, a plan of action based on the experiences gathered in the use cases will be developed to create a support base for good AQ/mobility measures and plans.

Transferability of Tools

Generic approaches will be developed allowing other EU cities to learn from CityTRAQ’s experience and make use of the tools provided in this project by transposing them to their local domain. The added value and transferability of the CityTRAQ tools and generic approaches will be demonstrated in an extra case.