Real-Time Monitoring Networks and Transport Emissions for Tailored Zero Pollution Action Plans in European Cities

Project Information

Net4Cities

Grant agreement ID: 101138405

DOI

10.3030/101138405

EC signature date 22 November 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2027

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 4 949 258,75

EU contribution

€ 4 705 156,25

Coordinated by

GFZ HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR GEOFORSCHUNG
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Net4Cities (Real-Time Monitoring Networks and Transport Emissions for Tailored Zero Pollution Action Plans in European Cities)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The transport sector is a major contributor to environmental degradation, including air and noise pollution that have negative effects to ecosystems and human health. This is particularly critical in urban areas, where the confluence of transport emissions and high population density result in adverse health impacts and substantial economic burden. The upcoming changes in the transport sector will be critical to reach targets set by the EU Green Deal. The Zero Pollution Action plans are essential tools to reduce pollution at many different levels. Through co-creation with stakeholders Net4Cities will facilitate the realization of the zero-pollution vision by 2050. The backbone of Net4Cities is this transdisciplinary approach in which the consortium members will engage with the partner cities, including ports and airports, to jointly produce new knowledge, and ensure relevance, uptake, and maximize transferability and exploitation.

During the project, air and noise pollution monitoring infrastructure will be advanced and expanded in 11 European cities, including transportation hubs such airports and ports, to conform with upcoming directives and provide data for health impact assessments. The activities are designed to have long-lasting impact through both mid-, and long-term pathways, providing a roadmap for greater uptake in European cities by offering tailored, transferrable, evidence-based support for implementing effective management strategies for reducing transport-related emissions. The main project results will be consolidated in the Net4Cities Studio which will provide (1) a web-based interface with real-time maps and information to raise awareness, and (2) a support tool for policy decisions that will provide guidance for operationalization and recommendations of solutions that consider innovative technologies such as dynamic traffic management systems and inclusion of nature-based solutions in overarching policy designs. Broader stakeholder engagement events, as well as dissemination, exploitation, and communication activities will facilitate further uptake and implementation of Net4Cities' outputs across cities in Europe over the longer term.

Net4Cities Objectives
Objective 1: Net4Cities will co-create evidence-based, tailored policy solutions for effective air and noise pollution reduction plans with the involvement of policy- and decision-makers, citizen associations, and interested organizations.
Objective 2: Deliver the next generation of advanced monitoring networks for transport-related air (exhaust and non-exhaust) and noise pollution capable of providing information in real-time for decision-support, and for health studies and to inform policy.
Objective 3: Generate data on (emerging) pollutants and noise in cities from contrasting geographical and climatic locations with differing fleet compositions to support source apportionment (SA) and modelling applications and the improvement of emissions inventories.
Objective 4: Consolidate in urban and national level databases integrated information from the advanced monitoring networks and activity databases that allows for the assessment of transport-related emissions and identification of non-compliant sources, contributing to enforcement and the reduction of health impacts.
Objective 5: Create the Net4Cities Studio, including a guidance for updated and expanded monitoring network design for emerging pollutants to address future challenges adequately.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Net4Cities advanced its technical and scientific objectives through the deployment of next-generation monitoring networks and data-driven solutions for air and noise pollution using a co-creation approach to engage stakeholders in its 11 partner cities. The project installed 18 of 24 planned Condensation Particle Counters (CPCs) for ultrafine particles, two-thirds of collocated noise sensors and traffic counters, and initiated sampling at 28 of 33 NH₃ locations and 11 N2O/GHG measurement sites across 11 partner cities. Two new air quality stations were established, with initial data now available in real-time that will in the next few years lead to a data set for decision-support and health studies. The project is generating new datasets for emerging pollutants and noise, enabling source apportionment and modelling in contrasting urban environments. Real-time maps via a functional prototype dashboard for the Net4Cities Studio were developed, with progress being made on operational source apportionment approaches deployed in six cities. The Net4Cities data hub was created, harmonizing real-time air and noise pollution data, and the project is in the process of planning logistics of remote sensing measurements which will facilitate updating emission factors for vehicle fleets and ships. The outcomes in progress include expanded monitoring capacity, open-access datasets, and tools for real-time visualization and source apportionment, directly supporting evidence-based policy.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Results beyond the state of the art in Net4Cities include the deployment of Europe’s first large-scale, long-term network for real-time monitoring of ultrafine particles (UFP) and lung-deposited surface area (LDSA) across 11 cities, advancing the technological readiness level (TRL) of these instruments; this will lead to the generation of unprecedented datasets for health studies and policy support. The project has also established operational source apportionment for black carbon at seven sites in three cities, distinguishing traffic and biomass emissions in real-time. Innovations extend to noise monitoring, where collocated traffic and noise sensors are generating data that will be combined with advanced modelling (e.g. CNOSSOS-EU and NoiseModelling) to enable validation of noise emission factors and improved urban noise mapping. To ensure further uptake, key needs include continued standardization of UFP/LDSA monitoring protocols, frameworks for integrating real-time source apportionment into urban air quality management, and expanded collaboration with public health agencies to exploit the datasets for epidemiological research.