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.
