Resilient cities: nature-based solutions to minimize the effects of air pollution on public health

• Grant number: 20/05383-9
• Support type: Research Grants - Research in Public Policies
• Duration: September 01, 2021 - August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal researcher: Andreza Portella Ribeiro
• Grantee: Andreza Portella Ribeiro
• Home Institution: Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE). Campus Santo Amaro. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: Carolina Yume Sawamura Theophilo ; Cleiton Jordão Santos ; David J Nowak ; Edson Gonçalves Moreira ; HARRY ALBERTO BOLLMANN ; José Eduardo Storopoli ; Maurício Lamano Ferreira ; Mitiko Saiki ; Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva ; Viviani Milan Ferreira Rastelli

Abstract

This research proposal, grounded on the principles of nature-based solutions, will be used as a contribution to the urban planning of Guarujá, seeking to introduce the concepts of resilience and sustainability to the city. Guarujá comprises the left bank of the Port of Santos, in Baixada Santista, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Port of Santos plays a leading role as a lever for economic development, both nationally and internationally. However, given the significant increase in port activities, the city was caught in a bottlenecked logistics flow, with heavy traffic in streets and avenues near the port area, reaching residential and commercial neighborhoods. In addition to the disruption of urban mobility, and as a consequence of it, there has been an increase in air pollution due to gas and particle emission from truck fleets. The lack of strategic planning to equate production flow logistics undermines the effectiveness of the Municipal Master Plan and Guarujá Agenda 21. To quantify air contaminants and verify its impact on residents' health, the present study will apply a low-cost protocol for air quality assessment: biological monitoring combined with geoprocessing techniques. The scientific contribution of the study includes the use of a geostatistic model -the attenuation of concentration model- which allows verifying if there is a correlation between high concentrations of contaminants in particles and respiratory disease registered in the Health Units of the Vicente de Carvalho, in Guarujá. Results will allow the creation of an inventory of air pollutants from intense truck flow in the port, and their effects on the population's health. The study also aims to indicate potential mitigating measures for airborne contaminants through nature-based protocols such as tree densification in streets and avenues, and the creation of urban parks. Regarding the strengthening of public policies, the pollutant inventory will support the actions of the Guarujá Municipal Environment Secretariat (SEMAM), which may assess whether the strategic planning of Santos Port (Law 8.630 / 93) is aligned with the Municipality Master Plan (Complementary Law 156/2013). The research will also subsidize updates on environmental sanctions provided for in the Guarujá City Code of Postures (Complementary Law 44/1998). The research meets the strategies foreseen for the National Agenda for Urban Environmental Quality, recently launched by the Ministry of Environment (MMA), as data collection could strengthen PRONAR, the national air quality control program, and PROCONVE, the air pollution control program for automotive vehicles. Information from the MMA indicates that, after 30 years, the programs' goals have not been effectively met, and that monitoring is the starting point for knowledge of air quality, intervention and public health management and protection. If the mapping of pollutants indicates risks to the environment and quality of life, SEMAM will study pertinent alternatives to address the problem, prioritizing the least disturbance or damage (economic, social, and environmental) to the city of Guarujá. SEMAM may study sectoral agreements in the form of environmental compensation. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

THEOPHILO, CAROLINA YUME SAWAMURA; RIBEIRO, ANDREZA PORTELLA; MOREIRA, EDSON GONCALVES; ARANHA, SIDNEI; BOLLMANN, HARRY ALBERTO; SANTOS, CLEITON JORDAO; DE OLIVEIRA, ANDERSON; DOS SANTOS, SIDNEY; SAIKI, MITIKO; SALDIVA, PAULO HILARIO NASCIMENTO; FERREIRA, MAURICIO LAMANO. Biomonitoring as a Nature-Based Solution to Assess Atmospheric Pollution and Impacts on Public Health. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, v. 107, n. 1, SI, p. 29-36, JUL 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.