Building Urban Resilience with Nature-Based Solutions: A Multi-Scale Case Study of the Atmospheric Cleansing Potential of Green Infrastructure in Southern Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Green infrastructure is a nature-based solution that supports sustainable development and restores urban, suburban, and peri-urban environments. Using a multi-scale evaluation, this study explores the impact of the application of green infrastructure, as a form of atmospheric cleansing, on tropospheric nitrogen dioxide. The impacts are not limited to specific green infrastructure treatments nor geographic location and land use type. Using both site-specific stationary air monitoring and coarser resolution satellite derived remote sensing, this study demonstrates the nature-based remediation effect of green infrastructure on nitrogen dioxide concentrations in Southern Ontario, Canada. At these scales, remote sensing and stationary air monitoring observations support the hypothesis that green infrastructure can cleanse the atmosphere by reducing nitrogen dioxide through scavenging by trees and dense vegetation at the neighbourhood level, consistent with the findings from microscale field campaigns. The study showed a clear link between compact, built-up, industrialized areas and higher nitrogen dioxide levels at the mesoscale, particularly notable to the west of the city of Toronto. Nature-based solutions provide an opportunity to address the impacts of urbanization, increase climate resilience, and support healthy urban environments.