Standard air quality measurements for big cities could be “misleading” indicators as they fail to take into account significant variations within suburbs and sometimes even in the same street.
University of Technology Sydney (UTS) students have collected air quality data showing changes across short distances depending on tree canopy, levels of construction and traffic, and time of day.
The NSW government provides air quality data taken at nine locations in Sydney, which is available online and updated hourly.
While Sydneysiders generally enjoy some of the world’s cleanest air, the quality is affected by dust, traffic fumes and bushfire smoke.
Associate professor at the UTS faculty of design, architecture and building Nimish Biloria said the available air quality data was “misleading” and did not adequately reflect the complex make-up of a city.
Dr Biloria last year led students to create sensory maps of Sydney suburbs according to how they felt, sounded or smelt.
This time, students added air quality data to the sensory maps.
Students focused on five suburbs — Burwood, Redfern, Kyeemagh, Pyrmont and St Peters — recording the air quality at 20 locations in each.
That data was then combined with information about land use, resident demographics, and students’ observations of noise, smells, and how they felt at each location.
Dr Biloria said air quality added to our understanding of multi-dimensional environments, with strong links revealed between the data and the experience of being in that place.
Lower air quality tended to match lower socio-economic status.
“This inequity in terms of the air quality, which is actually circulating around you, was so apparent that it was quite surprising, to be honest,” Dr Biloria said.
In Burwood, for example, air quality worsened in the more dense areas close to the busy train station or Parramatta Road where housing is cheaper and denser.
Grace Lee, studying interior architecture, had never been to the inner-west suburb, which is home to 40,000 residents, but chose to study it because of its mix of urban and suburban settings.
Ms Lee said the area close to the station was more lively and home to younger people, but there were downsides such as noise and lower air quality.
That was in contrast with the more leafy, quiet streets with bigger houses.
“In those suburban areas where the air quality was generally a lot better, we saw a wealthier demographic and they were towards the older scale, full-time working and aged 40 years and above,” Ms Lee said.
