Is the expansion of the subway network alone capable of improving local air quality? A study case in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Author(s)

Leiriao, Luciana Ferreira Leite ; Gabriel, Ana Flavia Barbosa ; Alencar, Airlane Pereira ; Miraglia, Simone Georges El Khouri

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT; v. 195, n. 9, p. 16-pg., 2023-09-01.

Abstract

One of the policies adopted to reduce vehicular emissions is subway network expansion. This work fitted interrupted regression models to investigate the effects of the inauguration of subway stations on the mean, trend, and seasonality of the NO, NO2, NOx, and PM10 local concentrations. The regions investigated in the city of Sao Paulo (Brazil) were Pinheiros, Butanta, and St. Amaro. In Pinheiros, after the inauguration of the subway station, there were downward trends for all pollutants. However, these trends were not significantly different from the trends observed before. In Butanta, only regarding NO, there was a significant reduction and seasonal change after the subway station's inauguration. In St. Amaro, no trend in the PM10 concentration was noted. The absence of other transportation and land use policies in an integrative way to the subway network expansion may be responsible for the low air quality improvement. This study highlights that the expansion of the subway network must be integrated with other policies to improve local air quality. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/04654-9 - Time series, wavelets and high dimensional data
• Grantee: Pedro Alberto Morettin
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants