Making Our Cities Breathe Better: A Playbook for Urban Air Quality Improvement

By Aun Abdullah - Lodha

Abstract

Air pollution remains one of India’s most pressing urban challenges, significantly impacting public health, economic productivity, and overall liveability. Urban air quality management requires a systemic approach, addressing transportation emissions, construction dust, open waste burning, and stubble burning, while integrating green buffers and airflow optimization into city planning.

This paper outlines a multi-pronged strategy to improve Air Quality Index (AQI), covering:

1.Sustainable Transport Planning – Expanding walkability, cycling, and EV infrastructure.

2.Waste Management Reform – Eliminating open burning through decentralized processing.

3.Dust and Construction Pollution Control – Strengthening enforcement while integrating landscape-based mitigation.

4.Stubble Management & Industrial Solutions – Creating structured reuse markets for agricultural waste.

5.Urban Greening & Airflow Optimization – Enhancing tree buffers and preserving ventilation corridors.

Through a combination of policy enforcement, technological interventions, and design innovations, cities can significantly reduce particulate pollution and improve urban air quality.

1. Introduction

The Urgency of Air Quality Improvement

India’s urban centers rank among the most polluted in the world, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels often exceeding safe thresholds. Major contributors include:

• Vehicular emissions (particularly from internal combustion engines).
• Construction dust and open land dust (from development and road infrastructure).
• Open waste burning (due to inadequate waste management systems).
• Agricultural stubble burning (particularly in northern India).

Addressing these sources requires an integrated framework that goes beyond reactive pollution control to proactive urban planning, sustainable infrastructure, and better resource management.

2. Reducing Transportation Emissions

Challenges in Urban Mobility

Urban Transport Strategies

• Promote 15-minute cities: Designing cities where daily needs (work, shopping, leisure) are within a 15-minute walk or cycle ride, reducing car trips.
• Expand EV infrastructure: Investing in charging stations, battery swapping hubs, and electrification of public transit.
• Deter traffic congestion: Incentivize walking and bring destinations closer

3. Eliminating Open Waste Burning

Challenges in Waste Management

Key Solutions

• Mandatory waste segregation: Ensuring dry, wet, and hazardous waste are processed separately to prevent landfill overflows.
• Decentralized solid waste management (SWM) facilities: Establishing neighborhood-level waste treatment centers to handle organic and recyclable materials.
• Formalizing recycling networks: Creating municipal-private partnerships to divert waste from landfills and integrate recyclers into a circular economy.

4. Controlling Construction & Open Land Dust

Challenges in Dust Pollution

Key Strategies

• Stronger dust control enforcement: Ensuring real-time monitoring, automated fines, and stricter compliance penalties for construction sites.
• Landscaping-based solutions: Requiring low-maintenance native ground cover or grass on open land to prevent dust resuspension.
• Smart dust suppression: Repurposing treated wastewater for dust suppression to reduce soil erosion.

5. Addressing Stubble Burning & Industrial Pollution

Challenges in Stubble & Industrial Emissions

Key Strategies

• Mandatory stubble reuse policies: Similar to fly ash mandates, ensuring stubble is commercially repurposed.
• Industrial decarbonization: Accelerating coal-to-renewables transition for captive power plants.

6. Urban Greening & Airflow Optimization

Challenges in Urban Ventilation

Key Strategies

• Urban forests & ventilation corridors: Preserving green corridors to allow natural pollutant dispersion.
• Tree-based dust screens: Planting multi-layered vegetation along roads to reduce dust transport.

7. Conclusion: A Holistic Approach to Air Quality Improvement

Addressing urban air pollution requires simultaneous action across multiple fronts. By integrating transportation reform, waste management, dust control, industrial decarbonization, and green infrastructure, cities can significantly improve AQI while enhancing urban liveability.

Key Takeaway: Air quality solutions must go beyond regulation—they must be embedded into urban planning, infrastructure, and economic systems. By adopting an integrated approach, cities can achieve cleaner air and healthier communities.