Integration of Urban Air Quality Management in Urban Infrastructure (Smart Cities) for Sustainable Growth

Introduction

Rapid urbanisation is occurring all over the world as a result of important Rapid urbanisation is occurring all over the world as a result of important developments like industrialization, economic growth, rising educational opportunities, and an overall better quality of life. Over half of the world's population now resides in urban areas, and this number is expected to rise to as high as 68% by 2050. Cities in Asia and Africa are expected to account for 35 percent of the global urban population growth forecast. The urban population of India has increased by 4 million, and another 416 million are expected to move there by 2050. By 2030, many of its cities are projected to have populations of 1 million or more, with Delhi poised to overtake Tokyo as the world's most populous metropolis in the intervening years. Developments like industrialization, economic growth, rising educational opportunities, and an overall better quality of life. Over half of the world's population now resides in urban areas, and this number is expected to rise to as high as 68% by 2050. Cities in Asia and Africa are expected to account for 35 percent of the global urban population growth forecast. The urban population of India has increased by 4 million, and another 416 million are expected to move there by 2050. By 2030, many of its cities are projected to have populations of 1 million or more, with Delhi poised to overtake Tokyo as the world's most populous metropolis in the intervening years (Gurjar et al, 2010).

Figure 1.

Trend of city growth in the world and India in two decades and the future projection

A growing urban population leads to more people living in cities, more cars on the road, and more traffic congestion. There are negative environmental effects of urbanisation, including pollution and other stresses on natural resources. The health, economy, and quality of social life are all negatively impacted by air pollution and climate change in various ways, necessitating immediate attention and corrective measures. For instance, it is estimated that inhaling polluted air causes 4.2 million deaths annually worldwide. More than 6.5 million deaths a year can be attributed to air pollution, according to the most recent Lancet report on the global disease burden. PM2.5-related air pollution is responsible for economic losses of US$ 5.7 trillion, or 4.8 percent of global GDP (Angelidou, 2017).

In response, the Sustainable Development Goals call for a halving of mortality rates worldwide by the year 2030. (SDGs). City governments around the world have made it a top priority to create environments that are thriving economically, socially, and environmentally, while also being pleasant to live in. However, this endeavour is extremely difficult because it requires striking a balance between providing for the needs of economic development while also protecting the environment. The idea of “smart cities” has emerged as a game-changing strategy for environmentally responsible city planning in response to these complexities (Angelidou, 2017)

The third essential factor in today's world is information and communication technology (ICT). It is expected that ICT will play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development within the context of smart cities. Notably, scientific discoveries, data analysis, and technological developments are crucial to the success of clean air programmes and smart city initiatives alike.

It has been noted that usable data for assessing sustainability progress is lacking for 68% of environmental SDGs worldwide. This includes SDGs 11, 13, and 7. In operational services like Urban Air Quality Management, the full potential of 4IR technologies has not been realised due to the lack of adequate urban computing methods to derive actionable insights from this data (UAQM) (Kaginalkar at el, 2022).

Figure 2.

Urban palimpsest