How to assess urban air quality relating to urban planning ?

Information about single air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides or ozone is not sufficient for many purposes in urban climatology, if properties of urban air quality are to be characterized or air pollution effects of planned changes in land use or urban spaces are to be assessed. Urban air quality must be taken into account in urban planning in a manner which is relevant to both the health and well-being of people in different urban areas. Therefore, urban air quality has to be assessed in a human-biometeorologically significant manner.

There exist air quality indices worldwide which can be used for that task, but due to some disadvantages they cannot be evaluated as perfect indices. Seen from the point of view of application in urban planning, the concept of some air quality indices is discussed. Based on long-term air pollutant data for different types of cities in southwestern Germany, results of comparative calculations for air quality indices are presented.