CAREER: Enhancing urban sustainability: an integrative approach toward synergistic solutions to reduce urban temperatures, air pollution, and water use in a changing climate

University Of Southern California, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER project tackles three critical urban sustainability challenges: urban warming and extreme heat, air pollution, and water conservation. The central themes are to (1) investigate how air pollution dynamics are impacted by both the urban heat island effect and global climate change, (2) quantify how the urban heat island effect and air pollution dynamics are modulated by drought conditions, (3) explore solutions to synergistically reduce urban warming, air pollution, and water use, and (4) disseminate research results using integrated education and outreach. The research aims to strike a balance between advancing fundamental engineering and science knowledge, and achieving practical research conclusions that can be used to solve environmental problems, allowing the conclusions to inform public policy and education. Such knowledge is critical to give cities a sound engineering and science basis for developing policies to synergistically mitigate extreme heat, improve air quality, and reduce water use. Themes (1) and (2) will be investigated using advanced physicochemical modeling, measurement data-driven approaches, and a newly proposed technique to quantify urban air pollution futures under uncertainty in climate change. Theme (3) will make use of scientific advances under themes (1) and (2) to enable the quantitative investigation of several policy-relevant research questions. These questions focus on the potential benefits and unintended consequences on air pollution of solutions intended to reduce urban temperatures and/or urban water use. Research, education, and outreach will be integrated and assessed by: (a) communicating research results to policy makers, utilities, and other stakeholders on a project advisory board, providing pathways for developing environmental policies, and receiving feedback on the research to ensure that it can translate to the real world; (b) carrying out K-12 outreach by creating a research-based science module for underprivileged middle school students; (c) continuing pursuit of an immersive and visceral approach for inspiring students and citizens to live sustainable lives by creating and performing music that gives them a greater connection with their environment; and (d) training graduate students and incorporating research results into the PI's graduate course at USC.