UIA Knowledge Lab

Urban forests for cleaner air - The final journal of the CLAIRO project

In Ostrava, Czech Republic, as part of the CLAIRO project, two plots of land were afforested in the city's most polluted neighbourhood to improve air ...

The CLAIRO approach to be rolled out across Europe

The CLAIRO project of the City of Ostrava has been promoting the use of greenery for local air quality improvements. It was a pioneering initiative in...

CLAIRO pilots novel solutions to improve plant health

When the goal is to capture air pollutants with newly planted urban vegetation at an industrial site exposed to various pollutant types, then proper g...

CLAIRO confirms that sensor networks open new fields in air quality monitoring

Research results indicate that low-cost air quality sensors offer an attractive alternative to conventional monitoring instruments, as they can be rob...

CLAIRO Zoom-in 3: Modelling air pollution removal by urban greenery in Ostrava

Outdoor air pollution is a major environmental health problem affecting almost everybody in the globe, as around 99% of the world's population live in...

Urban green spaces are needed for public health

The CLAIRO project demonstrates the positive impact of urban greenery on air quality. Apart from reducing air pollution, urban vegetation provides a r...

CLAIRO International Conference: Building human-centric cities through promoting greening and active mobility

People-friendly cities can be developed by careful and smart planning of urban mobility, by combining hard surfaces with vegetation and water, or by a...

The CLAIRO Project Journal N°3

In the past 12 months CLAIRO project has entered its final phase with key project outputs starting to materialize. This third edition of CLAIRO Journa...

Cookbooks were published by CLAIRO for cities on using vegetation to improve air quality

CLAIRO aspires to develop, test and disseminate a unique methodology for using greenery to improve locally urban air quality. With a view to summarize...

CLAIRO study on behavioural changes: Mass planting for clean air is more popular than other air quality related measures

The general attitude towards air quality and urban greening is significantly influenced by age, level of education and gender. This was one of the key...

CLAIRO Zoom-in 2: Plant hormones help planted trees withstand unfavourable environmental conditions in Ostrava

Urban greenery can be used for filtering air pollutants in an industrial area only as long as trees can survive or remain healthy for a longer time. I...

CLAIRO National Conference: A system of green spaces contributes to a sustainable and healthy city

Green spaces in a city are particularly relevant in stormwater management, as they help absorb water decreasing runoff rates. During heavy downpours b...

Designing greenery for pollutant capture under CLAIRO

According to a recently published international survey of the European Commission, Ostrava is one of those cities in Europe that have the most visible...

The CLAIRO Project Journal N°2

This is the second Journal of Tamas Kallay on the CLAIRO project covering an implementation period during which Ostrava was setting the scene for the ...

CLAIRO Zoom-in 1: A modular sensor network to quantify air pollutant capture by greenery

The first Zoom-in of the CLAIRO project explores how a low-cost, flexible sensor network with a high modularity supports the modelling of the future c...

CLAIRO public opinion surveys: Results reveal concerns about air quality and openness towards urban greening in Ostrava agglomeration

The majority of the people in the Ostrava agglomeration are interested in air quality and consider the topic to be highly relevant. At the same time, ...

CLAIRO Journal 1: Key activities and interim results

UIA Expert Tamas Kallay provides a first glimpse of the project’s challenges, lessons learnt and successes. ...

INNOAIR Final Journal

INNOAIR Journal 3: Launching and scaling-up the green mobility services

This report provides an overview of the 2023 activities for the INNOAIR project, spearheaded by Sofia, Bulgaria, and supported by the Urban Innovative...

INNOAIR Journal 2: Putting the green mobility options on the road

This journal summarizes the progress of activities of the project INNOAIR implemented by the city of Sofia, Bulgaria, with the support of the Urban In...

INNOAIR Journal 1: Towards on-demand green mobility

This journal summarizes the progress of activities of the project INNOAIR implemented by the city of Sofia, Bulgaria, with the support of the Urban In...

Air-Break Final Journal

This final Journal provides an overview of the progress and long-term impact of the Air-Break project in Ferrara, focusing on the key components that ...

Citizen Science – A double-edged blade. Perspectives from the debate emerged in Ferrara

Citizen science, a method that brings non-experts into the fold of scientific research and data collection, has emerged as a powerful tool in addressi...

Insights Unveiled: Air-Break Ferrara's Data-Driven Policymaking

Air-Break's comprehensive dataset transforms Ferrara's urban planning, providing real-time air quality and mobility insights....

Advancing Urban Mobility: Challenges, Progress, and Policy Implications of Air-Break Motivational Campaigns – Zoom-In 2

In this Zoom-In, UIA Expert Pietro L. Verga navigates through the transformative impact of FBK's Air-Break Sustainable Mobility Motivational Campaigns...

AIR BREAK Journal Nr. 3

With the project approaching its end in December 2023, this Journal Nr. 3 reflects on a number of core lessons learnt during the implementation of Air...

Data-Driven Cities: Air-Break Ferrara's Real-Time Air Quality Insights for Informed Citizens and Policymakers

In the pursuit of creating smarter and more sustainable urban environments, the Air-Break Ferrara project has embarked on a mission to revolutionize t...

Air-Break Datathon: a gathering of creativity and analytical exploration

How to actively engage youth, researchers, and experts in exploring innovative solutions to contemporary environmental challenges? ...

Playing Together Towards Sustainable Mobility. The Air-Break Gamification Experience

Through a set of playful activities and gamified rewarding campaigns, the Air-Break project sets to bring about positive change in citizens’ mobility ...

Analysing Commuting Patterns in Ferrara towards Better-Informed Policy Decisions

In order to better understand the commuting practices, habits, and trends of Ferrara’s citizens and city-users, and ultimately to inform policy decisi...

AIR BREAK Journal Nr. 2

This second Journal focuses on the achievements of- and challenges for all the core realms of the Air-Break project until October 2022....

An Urban Forest is Growing in Ferrara

Since March 2022, a new urban forest is growing in Ferrara, thanks to the plantation of nearly two-thousands trees and shrubs in five selected areas o...

AIR BREAK Journal Nr. 1

The Air-Break project seeks to reduce by 25% air-pollution in selected strategic areas of the City of Ferrara. The city lays in one of the most air-po...

An Alliance for Air in Ferrara

The air we breathe can contain a variety of pollutants released into the atmosphere as a mixture of solid particles, liquid droplets, and gases from a...

Cargo bikes: a family alternative to car ownership in Brussels

In Brussels, nine out of ten families with children rely on cars. Cargo bikes offer a sustainable alternative for school runs, groceries, and more. Di...

Rethinking parking: How Brussels is making space for cargo bikes

As cargo bikes gain popularity, Brussels is addressing the challenges of parking, theft, and accessibility through innovative policies and collaborati...

How Brussels is leveraging cargo bike potential for delivery and service trips

In European cities, up to 50% of urban trips for professional activities could be made by cargo bike, yet many lack the awareness, infrastructure, and...

Journal #2: Moving the City on Two Wheels

Incorporating partner feedback, the second edition of the journal traces the progress of each challenge, documents enhancements, and outlines actionab...

Cairgo Bike - Focus on air quality, black carbon exposure

The Cairgo Bike project is designed to boost measures being applied by Brussels Capital Region to structurally improve air quality in the city. It tar...

Incentive: Powering Cargo Bike Take-up

The Cairgo Bike project is designed to boost measures, being applied by the Brussels Capital Region to structurally improve air quality in the city. I...

The CAIRGO BIKE project Journal N° 1

The Cairgo Bike project is designed as a tool to help tackle persistent conditions of poor and damaging air quality experienced in many European citie...

Cairgo Bike working on 3 Ts: Training, Testing and Trial

The Cairgo Bike project is designed to boost measures being applied by the Brussels Capital Region to structurally improve air quality in the city. It...

Contaminated air, public health and Cairgo Bike

The Cairgo Bike project is designed to boost measures being applied by the Brussels Capital Region to structurally improve air quality in the city. It...

Cairgo Bike extending innovative action in Brussels Capital Region

The Cairgo Bike project is designed to boost measures being applied by the Brussels Capital Region to structurally improve air quality in the city. It...

Journal #4: The final year for DIAMS

This is the fourth and last journal for the UIA project DIAMS (Digital Alliance for Marseille Sustainability). The Aix Marseille Métropole has led thi...

Zoom-in #3. Evaluation and monitoring innovative environmental projects involving citizen participation: the DIAMS approach

Monitoring and evaluating the impact of projects is essential to determine the success in implementing the action plan, achieving the objectives, and ...

Journal # 3: The challenges for the UIA DIAMS project

This is the third journal for the UIA DIAMS (Digital Alliance for Marseille Sustainability) project led by the Aix Marseille Métropole. In terms of a...

ZOOM – IN #2 - ENGAGEMENT OF CITIZENS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE FIGHT OF POOR AIR QUALITY: THE UIA-DIAMS APPROACH

The UIA DIAMS project, led by the Aix-Marseille Métropole, aims to engage the different parts of the society to improve the policies related to air qu...

DIAMS Journal 2: get an update about Aix-Marseille project

This second journal discusses the challenging times faced in this exceptional year, marked by the Covid-19 global pandemic, and how the DIAMS partners...

The DIAMS digital platform: Towards a collaborative approach to improve the air quality governance- Zoom-in

The UIA DIAMS project, lead by the Aix Marseille Metropole, aims to engage the different parts of the society to improve the air quality problems in t...

Diams Project Journal 1

In this first journal about the DIAMS project, UIA Expert Anna Font provides a general overview of how DIAMS fits within the existing European, French...

The living lab: a lab in the air, a space to create on earth

The Living lab opened its doors in October 2019 in Aix-en-Provence, one of the main cities of the Aix Marseille Metropole. It was conceived to be an i...

AIR-HERITAGE biomonitoring: Interesting facts and results!

AIR-HERITAGE aims to improve the City of Portici’s knowledge on local air pollution, through monitoring and modeling air quality, so that the city can...

Actively engaging people during the pandemic: AIR-HERITAGE info points

AIR-HERITAGE aims to address air pollution in the City of Portici. A key element of the project is actively engaging citizens throughout the process. ...

Two UIA projects working together to tackle urban challenges

AIR-HERITAGE aims to address air pollution in Portici. A key element of the project is actively engaging citizens throughout the process. In this cont...

Biomonitoring: An alternative way to monitor air pollution in Portici

AIR-HERITAGE aims to improve the City of Portici’s knowledge on local air pollution so that the city can more effectively address this issue. More spe...

Air Heritage Journal 2: get an update about Portici's project latest achievements

This second Journal presents AIR-HERITAGE key achievements to date and describes how the various challenges faced, have evolved over time, as well as ...

Making better decisions, faster, to tackle air pollution

The first AIR-HERITAGE zoom-in focuses on the technical aspects of the project. It aims to present the Decision Support Tool developed for supporting ...

Air-Heritage journal 1

Andriana Stavrakaki, UIA expert for the AIR-HERITAGE project, in this journal edition describes the measures put in place by the City of Portici to ov...

Actively engaging students to improve the quality of life of residents, even during a pandemic

The legacy of HOPE – final journal

After closing in April 2022, the UIA HOPE project leaves behind a lasting legacy. The project piloted in Helsinki a next generation of air quality mon...

HOPE Journal 1: Helsinki on the path towards cleaner air

UIA Expert Alena Bartonova shares insights about the first months of implementation: “the first 16 months were dedicated to development of the complex...

AirQon Final Journal

Events before and after AIRQON; how well they work? The case of Breda Barst

The AirQon solution is fundamentally based on community participation. It is a crowdsourced powering solution for events. Therefore, engagement is the...

AirQon Journal 2022: get an update about Breda's AirQon Project

AirQon Zoom-in 3: The challenge of powering greener events

Breda Barst is an extraordinary example of innovative spirit, sustainable commitment, and collaborative approach. Just as AirQon is! But, why is Breda...

Sprinting towards zero emission!

In 2019 everything was ready for La Vuelta to depart from the Netherlands for the 2020 edition, and with this, it was planned to pass through Breda. W...

A greener solution is a must! The influence of diesel generators on air pollution

Diesel generators are the main source of environmental pollution in events. In fact, mitigating their effects is the raison d'être of the AIRQON proje...

Counting cars for powering with AIRQON; how many do I need?

An event organizer may have heard about AIRQON but, what about taking a step forward and considering using it? AIRQON, apart from being a sustainable ...

AirQon Zoom-in 2: The challenge of addressing a community

The objective of this Zoom-in 2 is to delve into the role that the community plays in AIRQON as a crowd powered solution. This is not performed from a...

From well-to-wheel, to EV-to-event

AIRQON: A new paradigm in improving local air quality...

AirQon, Breda: Win a sustainable EV taxi drive!

One of the best practices done in this way is the organization of a social media giveaway with the aim of attracting the attention of target groups to...

Building a community. A survey on EV drivers about AirQon

A crowd-powered energy solution like AIRQON is inextricably linked to the community. It does not matter how sophisticated it may be technically. If th...

Plug it in! Powering much more than events with AirQon

The AirQon solution is a versatile powering option for eventual energy demands, with a first class set of potential applications. This means that AirQ...

AirQon Journal 2: Events and More

In this Journal, UIA Expert Javier Leiva reveals that “AIRQON is facing a short future conditioned by getting back to normality. Meanwhile, the activi...

AirQon Zoom-in 1: Not only for mobility purposes– towards the car as a service

The purpose of my first visit to the city of Breda was to learn firsthand about the AIRQON project. Anyone may think that a technology-based project l...

Cars with a battery, or batteries on wheels?

Diving into technical details of AIRQON solution...

Ready… Set… Go!

How is a typical event with AIRQON in Breda?...

AIRQON Journal 1: First challenges

UIA Expert Javier Leiva reveals how the Breda project addresses the first implementation challenges: “One of the key aspects being addressed is the pa...

The Macrolotto Zero Urban Jungle!

The Prato Urban Jungle project tested nature based solutions (NBS) in different pilot sites of the city in order to carry out innovative strategies to...

Involving citizens for better air quality measures: the 5 UIA cities leading the way

Despite the recent considerable progress, ambient air pollution remains the first environmental cause of death in the EU, still leading to about 400.0...

UIA Call 3: Read our Topic Coordinators findings from the proposals submitted

Four papers give insight into the main trends in the proposals submitted under Call 3....

Electric minibuses offering on-demand and zero-emission public transport options to citizens in Sofia

The INNOAIR Podcast episode #4 is covering the on-demand green public transport service that he Bulgarian capital of Sofia has started to test with a ...

Sofia Coin: Rewarding healthier travel behavior for cleaner air

INNOAIR Podcast Episode #3 presents the concept of Sofia Coin, a smart phone app that rewards its users for walking and cycling instead of driving whi...

Artificial Intelligence: Can smarter transit prevent Sofia from car overkill?

INNOAIR Podcast Episode #2 is covering the opportunities and challenges of using artificial intelligence in managing sustainable on-demand mobility so...

INNOAIR hackathon: How to make urban mobility in Sofia smart and green?

INNOAIR Podcast Episode #1 is reporting on a hackathon aimed at ideas and solutions making Sofia's urban mobility smart and green....

The Added Value of Air-Break to the City of Ferrara

In this podcast series I will be discussing the concrete experience, challenges and learnings of the Urban Innovative Actions project Air-Break Ferrar...

The Air Fest: an Open Platform for Engaging Citizens and Stakeholders around Air Quality in Ferrara

In this podcast series I will be discussing the concrete experience, challenges and learnings of the Urban Innovative Actions project Air-Break Ferrar...

Introducing Air-Break Ferrara's Smart Hubs

UIA Expert Pietro L. Verga interviews Gabriele Mengozzi (HERA Group) on the main features of the Smart Hubs developed in Ferrara to support and facili...

The construction of Ferrara’s new Smart Bike Lane. Adapting to new conditions and challenges

The Smart Bike Lane is part of the infrastructural upgrades plan through which the Air-Break project is facilitating slow mobility within the city of ...

AIR BREAK Participatory Air-Quality Monitoring – Zoom-In 1

This Zoom-In describes in detail the participatory air-quality monitoring system designed and implemented by the AIR BREAK Ferrara project....

Podcast: the benefits and challenges of cargo bike and trailer sharing systems

Join us in this podcast as we delve into the groundbreaking cAIRgo Bike project, an initiative transforming Brussels with cargo bikes to improve air q...

On the road: cyclist vs motorist pollution exposure - Zoom-In #1 on Service trips

On the road: cyclist vs motorist pollution exposure - Zoom-In #2 on Families