Air Quality Challenges in Urban Areas: Monitoring, Sources and Health Implications
A special issue of Urban Science (ISSN 2413-8851). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Environment and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 January 2027 | Viewed by 161
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Urban areas are now home to more than half of the global population and remain the primary centers of economic activity, transportation and resource consumption. Alongside their social and economic importance, cities are also hotspots of air pollution, where complex mixtures of airborne contaminants are generated, transformed and accumulated. Rapid urbanization, increasing traffic density and intensified industrial and construction activities continue to exacerbate air quality challenges in metropolitan environments.
Urban air pollution represents a critical environmental and public health issue, influencing atmospheric processes, ecosystem functioning and human exposure on local to regional scales. Beyond well-recognized exhaust emissions, non-exhaust sources such as road dust resuspension, brake and tire wear, construction activities and secondary particle formation play an increasingly important role in shaping urban air quality. Emerging contaminants, including metals, organic compounds and micro- and nanoplastics, further add to the complexity of urban atmospheric pollution.
This Special Issue aims to advance current understanding of air pollution in urban environments by bringing together interdisciplinary research that addresses pollutant sources, physicochemical characteristics, transport and transformation processes and environmental and health implications under real-world conditions. Emphasis is placed on field-based studies, innovative analytical approaches and integrative assessments that reflect the multifaceted nature of urban air pollution.
Original research articles and review papers are welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Sources and characterization of urban air pollutants
- Particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, ultrafine particles) in cities
- Non-exhaust traffic emissions and resuspended road dust
- Emerging airborne contaminants (e.g., metals, microplastics, organic pollutants)
- Air quality monitoring and source apportionment methods
- Atmospheric transport, transformation and deposition in urban areas
- Human exposure and environmental impacts of urban air pollution
- Implications for urban air quality management and mitigation strategies
We hope this Special Issue will provide a comprehensive platform for exchanging knowledge and promoting innovative approaches to understanding and managing air pollution in urban environments.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Sylwia K. Dytłow
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- urban air pollution
- particulate matter
- non-exhaust emissions
- road dust resuspension
- traffic-related pollution
- emerging airborne contaminants
- air quality monitoring
- source apportionment
- human exposure
- urban environment
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