Can Green Walls Reduce Outdoor Ambient Particulate Matter, Noise Pollution and Temperature?

Naomi Paull, Daniel Krix, Fraser Torpy and Peter Irga
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Naomi Paull: Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, Australia
Daniel Krix: Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, Australia
Fraser Torpy: Faculty of Science, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, Australia
Peter Irga: Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-19

Abstract: Green walls have previously demonstrated the capacity to reduce particulate matter (PM), noise pollution, and temperature conditions in manipulative experiments and computational models. There is, however, minimal evidence that green walls can influence ambient environmental conditions, especially taking into account the variable environmental conditions encountered in situ. The aim of this paper was to determine if green walls have a quantitative effect on ambient air quality in an urban environment. Ambient PM, noise, and temperature were recorded at 12 green wall and adjacent reference wall locations across a dense urban centre, over a 6-month period. The results indicated that PM levels and temperature did not significantly differ between the green wall and reference wall sites. Ambient noise at the green wall sites, however, was significantly lower than at the reference wall locations. It is suggested that mechanically assisted, or ‘active’ green wall systems may have a higher PM and temperature reduction capacity, and if so, they will be more valuable for installation in situ compared to standard passive systems, although this will require further research.

Keywords: green walls; air quality; noise pollution; urban heat island; traffic density (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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