ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND GREENNESS AS INDICATORS OF COMFORT OF A COMPACT CITY (BY EXAMPLE OF KYIV)

Abstract

The goal of the article is to study the geographical distribution and provision of urban green spaces to the residents of a large city on the example of Kyiv, assess the real state of green infrastructure, and reveal the relationship between air quality and comfort of living in some districts of the capital. To achieve this goal, we have analysed the compliance of Kyiv with the requirements of the compact sustainable city conception; and proposed an original method of substantiating the level of comfortable living, taking into consideration the air quality. According to the method we have evaluated the drawings of the effective Kyiv development Master plan and the one being elaborated, the regulatory documents of the Kyiv City Council, the registries of public recreation zones, OpenStreetMap and Google Map geospatial data and annual concentrations of main air pollutants of different Kyiv districts. Several thousand contours of all urban green spaces with an area of more than one hectare in Kyiv’s cartographic base has been processed and a number of major indicators of the modern conditions of the green infrastructure of Kyiv in all ten city districts have been calculated. Additionally, the average annual concentrations of main air pollutants and the Air Quality Index in different Kyiv districts have been calculated. We have identified a number of significant shortcomings in the functioning of the state monitoring of atmospheric air pollution in Kyiv, and substantiated the criteria for placing the air quality monitoring stations and sensors for the efficient measuring of the concentration of pollutants. Based on processing all significant indicators, such as the Greenness Index, Green Space Provision Index, Air Quality Index, the administrative districts of Kyiv have been ranked to assess the level of the comfortable and safe urban environment. We have calculated the integrated City comfort living Index that is based on important indicators of urban green spaces and allows to assess the complex state of the green infrastructure in Kyiv. It is also a key criterion of its compliance with modern requirements to the sustainable compact city. The analysis of the condition and distribution of urban green spaces has revealed their irregular distribution in the majority of districts and insufficient provision of green areas in the highest-density neighborhoods, despite their high Given the numerous shortcomings of the green infrastructure development in Kyiv (uneven territorial distribution, insufficient provision for the population), it is necessary to revise the legal framework in terms of geoecological assessment of all urban green spaces and their functions. Among the promising areas of further research, priority is given to determining the quality of green spaces, calculating the uniformity of their spatial distribution, pedestrian and transport accessibility for the city residents to the elements of green infrastructure, including protected areas. The relevance of the research is due to the fruitless search for the compromises between locally based densification, urban development and preservation of urban green structures, which leads to deterioration of air quality and general environmental condition of Kyiv, reducing its socio-economic development, increasing incidences of disease.