Previous studies on the relationship between urban form and air quality: (1) report mixed results among specific aspects of urban spatial structure (e.g., urban expansion, form, or shape) and (2) use primarily cross-sectional approaches with a single year of data. This study takes advantage of a multi-decade, longitudinal approach to investigate the impact of urban spatial structure on population-weighted concentrations of PM and NO. Based on fixed-effect regression models for 481 urban areas in the United States spanning from 1990 to 2015, we found significant associations between various aspects of urban spatial structure and air quality after controlling for meteorological and socio-economic factors. Our results show that population density, compact urban form, circularity, and green space are associated with lower concentrations. Conversely, higher rates of urban expansion, industrial area, and polycentricity are associated with higher concentrations. For large cities (total population: 180,262,404), we found that increasing key factors from each urban spatial structure category (i.e., greenness, population density, compactness, circularity) by a modest 10% results in 10,387 (12,376) fewer deaths for PM (NO). We recommend that policymakers adopt comprehensive strategies to increase population density, compactness, and green spaces while slowing urban expansion to reduce the health burden of air quality in US cities.

中文翻译：

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美国的城市空间结构和空气质量：纵向方法的证据


先前关于城市形态与空气质量之间关系的研究：（1）报告城市空间结构的特定方面（例如城市扩张、形态或形状）之间的混合结果，以及（2）主要使用单年的横截面方法的数据。本研究利用数十年的纵向方法来研究城市空间结构对人口加权 PM 和 NO 浓度的影响。基于 1990 年至 2015 年美国 481 个城市地区的固定效应回归模型，我们发现在控制气象和社会经济因素后，城市空间结构的各个方面与空气质量之间存在显着关联。我们的研究结果表明，人口密度、紧凑的城市形态、循环性和绿色空间与较低的集中度相关。相反，较高的城市扩张率、工业区和多中心性则与较高的集中度相关。对于大城市（总人口：180,262,404），我们发现将每个城市空间结构类别（即绿化度、人口密度、紧凑度、循环度）的关键因素增加 10%，可导致 PM 死亡人数减少 10,387 人（12,376 人）。不）。我们建议政策制定者采取综合战略，增加人口密度、紧凑度和绿化空间，同时减缓城市扩张，以减轻美国城市空气质量的健康负担。