RT Journal Article
T1 Transforming urban air quality: Green infrastructure strategies for the urban centers of Ethiopia
A1 Gebreyesus, Tikabo
A1 Borgemeister, Christian
A1 Herrero De Jáuregui, Cristina
A1 Kelboro, Girma
AB Urban green infrastructure (GI) plays a crucial role in improving air quality by removing pollutants and reducing emissions from structures. However, in Ethiopia, inadequate GI planning, largely due to limited awareness among planners and policymakers, can undermine the benefits of GI and worsen urban air quality issues. In this study, we demonstrate how the GI strategy approach can enhance air quality and assess the negative impacts of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by certain tree species in Ethiopia, using Hawassa as a case study. We utilized a customized i-Tree Eco model to estimate annual pollutant removal and BVOC emissions and applied the Kriging method in ArcGIS to map their spatial distribution. In Hawassa, GI systems removed 274.2 t of pollutants annually, valued at $1.79 million, with SO2 being the most and CO the least removed pollutants. Air pollution removal was highest during the dry season (37.4%) compared to the long (29.7%) and short rainy seasons (32.9%). Conversely, trees emitted 35.78 t of BVOCs annually, with monoterpene and isoprene being nearly equal contributors. Eucalyptus genus, Casuarina equisetifolia, and Schinus molle species were the top BVOC emitters despite their low population percentages in the study area. While GI types such as urban parks and institutional compounds are effective at pollutant removal, they also exhibit higher BVOC emissions. Our findings highlight the need for optimized species selection, improved GI planning, and enhanced policy support to maximize GI effectiveness, providing valuable insights for planners and policymakers in integrating GI into urban spatial planning.
PB Elsevier
SN 0269-7491
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118363
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118363
LA eng
NO Gebreyesus, T., Borgemeister, C., Herrero- Jáuregui, C., & Kelboro, G. (2024). Transforming urban air quality: Green infrastructure strategies for the urban centers of Ethiopia. Environmental Pollution, 363, 125244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125244
NO University of Bonn
DS Docta Complutense
RD 3 ago 2025