Urban Green and Built Infrastructure as a Tool to Mitigate Local Air Pollution

April 10, 2018 | 9am-10am pacific | 12 noon - 1pm eastern

For his presentation, Dr. Baldauf will summarize the U.S. EPA’s research program on the use of built and green infrastructure to mitigate local air pollution impacts from transportation facilities. His presentation will describe the current scientific understanding of how urban infrastructure affects local air quality, including a review of projects conducted in the US and other parts of the world investigating solid noise barrier and roadside vegetation impacts in particular. He will also summarize existing resources developed by the U.S. EPA to assist environmental and health professionals, urban planners, and developers to identify best practices to mitigate local air pollution impacts and avoid unintended consequences where urban infrastructure may exacerbate local air quality concerns.

Dr. Baldauf has over 20 years of experience conducting research on emissions, air quality impacts, and adverse health effects from exposures to air pollution emitted by transportation and industrial sources. His research focuses on the development of policies and practices to mitigate air pollution emissions and impacts at local, urban, and global scales. His research has led to national emissions standards and best practices to mitigate air pollution impacts using urban development including built and green infrastructure. He has a joint affiliation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research & Development and the Office of Transportation & Air Quality where he has led cross-disciplinary research teams focusing on air quality measurements, air dispersion modeling, and sustainable transportation and urban development issues. He also maintains Adjunct Professor appointments in the School of Engineering at North Carolina State University and Texas A&M University. Dr. Baldauf co-manages the U.S. EPA’s Mobile Source Emissions Research Laboratory and led the cross-agency Sustainable Transportation Initiative. He has published over 100 peer-review journal articles and several book chapters on these topics during his career at the U.S. EPA.