Images: Shutterstock
Air pollution is a complex challenge that the world, and especially India, is struggling with.
Here are some innovative strategies that have been used by cities around the world to combat air pollution.
1. Superblocks
Barcelona grouped nine city blocks into a Superblock from where traffic is rerouted to perimeter routes.
The first Superblock was introduced in 2016, inside which only pedestrians were allowed. These islands of green spaces promoted walking and cycling, and led to improved air quality.
Beijing and Rotterdam installed seven-metre-high smog-free towers that use positive ionization technology to suck in polluted air.
2. Giant smog-free towers
These were art installations with a purpose, developed by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde, and are known to capture over 75% of fine particulate matter, like PM2.5 and PM10.
Urban installations or ‘CityTrees’ have been used in Berlin and London to clean the air. These standalone installations have cultivated panels of different types of moss.
3. Urban infra as a passive air-purifier
A Bengaluru-based startup developed a retrofit emission control device that attaches to the exhaust of vehicles, generators or chimneys.
4. Pollution into usable products
It captures soot from the emissions and converts it into a usable form, like ink or paint.
Image: Instagram/@air.ink
Undertaken by Mumbai and cities across the UK and Europe, it involves planting dozens of native saplings close together to create a mini-forest.
5. The Miyawaki method
These forests grow 10 times faster and 30 times denser than traditional plantations and create cool microclimates.
Image: wikipedia.org
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