Welcome to the first iSCAPE newsletter!
The iSCAPE newsletter will inform you about the results and events of the European research project iSCAPE. The aim is to keep all relevant actors interested in air quality in urban areas up to date with regard to the innovative potential of passive control systems and their social, economic and environmental impact as well as the reduction of CO2.
In this newsletter you find news on:
- First iSCAPE research results
- Updates from the iSCAPE Living Labs
- Publications
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First iSCAPE research results
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Assessment of urban air quality and climate change solutions
The first months of the iSCAPE project were mainly dedicated to a thorough and neutral assessment of existing and future challenges and opportunities for the cities with respect to air quality and climate change, and the role of infrastructural interventions to offer solutions to the corresponding challenges. The results are a strong foundation for the next steps: selecting, applying, assessing and evaluating the most attractive intervention measures to reduce impacts of air pollution and climate change for comprehensive experimental and modelling studies. We invite you to study the results!
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Challenges and opportunities in the iSCAPE cities: putting the citizen at the heart of the project
 Report on non-technical challenges and opportunities for each of the six cities (Bologna, Bottrop, Dublin, Guiltford, Hasselt, Vantaa) involved in the iSCAPE project relating to air pollution and climate change. Sixteen city challenges have been identified and split into three overarching ‘challenge areas’. These include ‘Urban Environment’, ‘Citizen Perception’ and ‘Government Policy’. Read more
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Guidelines to promote passive methods for improving urban air quality in climate change scenarios
 This report reviews and discusses the available passive control systems (Physical Passive Control Systems, Green infrastructure, Photocatalytic coatings) as well as a spatial perspective for improving air quality produced guidelines that account for local settings. Read more |
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Report on Behavioural interventions
 The review of literature on behavioural interventions addressed several mobility (individual travel habits) related interventions in terms of defining their impacts as emissions from road transport is one of the significant contributors of air pollution. Read more
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Report on climate change and air quality
This report aims to summarise current understanding of urban climate change, air quality studies and their interconnection. It provides a broad overview of challenges that are relevant for PCSs deployment to mitigate the impact of climate changes in future scenarios. Read more |
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Summary of air quality sensors and recommendations for application
 State-of-the-art review of existing literature on low-cost sensors (costing less than 100$) that can be used for measuring common air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and its precursor pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitric oxide (NO). Read more
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Updates from the iSCAPE Living Labs
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iSCAPE established its six Living Labs on air pollution in cities
iSCAPE established six Living Labs, working on different aspects of Air Pollution control systems in cities, integrated by several initiatives to involve and inform local citizens and to influence policies at many levels:
| City |
Passive Control System Intervention |
| Bologna and Lazaretto |
Street canyon with / without trees, Photocatalytic wall |
| Bottrop |
Urban green management: “Walking trees” experiment |
| Dublin |
Low boundary walls |
| Guildord |
Green infrastructure (trees and hedges) |
| Hasselt |
Urban mobility: behavioural change, warning systems |
| Vantaa |
Green roofs, Green infrastructures |
The Living Labs started their work with several activities for establishing a community within their city.
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First iSCAPE journal publications
Abhijith, K.V., Kumar, P., Gallagher, J., McNabola, A., Baldauf, R., Pilla, F., Broaderick, B., Di Sabatino, S., Pulvirenti, B., 2017. Air Pollution Abatement Performances of Green Infrastructure in Open Road and Built-up Street Canyon Environments – A Review. Atmospheric Environment.
Valmassoia, A., Gharbiaa, S., Stibe, S., Di Sabatino, S., Pilla, F., 2017. Future Impacts of the Reforestation Policy on the atmospheric parameters: a sensitivity study over Ireland. Procedia Computer Science, Volume 109, Pages 367–375
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iSCAPE in a nutshell 
The European research project iSCAPE has the overall aim to develop and evaluate an integrated strategy for air pollution control in European cities grounded on evidence-based analysis. The project will develop the tools required to obtain an air pollution free/low carbon society by addressing air quality and climate change concerns together through the application of new smart and sustainable technologies for integration into urban design and guidelines. This will include the development and assessment ex-ante of a framework aimed at changing mobility behaviour and will harness emerging smart city capabilities and protocols to implement novel urban air pollution control strategies using improved policy-oriented information and technology. These abatement options will be assessed and/or applied to Living Labs (pilot sites) in six European cities (Bologna, Bottrop, Dublin, Guildford, Hasselt and Vantaa) and will be designed to achieve measures of reductions in: i) air pollution exposure, ii) climate change impacts, iii) air pollution emissions and iv) associated costs. The options to be investigated will be both policy- and technology-based, with direct impacts on personal exposure to pollution, on GHG and toxic emissions, and on climate change.
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689954. The content of this leaflet reflects the author’s views.The European Commission is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
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Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* iSCAPE consortium. All rights reserved.
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