Urban image analysis based on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as a polluting agent; case study: historical center of the city of Cuenca

Abstract:

The economic development characteristic of intermediate cities such as Cuenca, in Ecuador, produces high environmental pollution due to gas emissions which is mainly produced by the progressive growth of vehicles. Its implications have been widely debated by a public health standpoint. However, there is also evidence of damage over the urban image perception. This reality becomes even more sensitive in areas with heritage value. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to analyze the urban heritage image, considering NO2 as the main polluting agent in the Historic Center of Cuenca. For this purpose, a spatial modeling of NO2 distribution was carried out to identify two pairs of analyzing points according to their similarity of NO2 concentration. Subsequently, a photographic survey and a classification of pathological damages were done over historical materials. As a result, the NO2 concentrations spatial distribution presents concentric rings patterns, where the highest values occurs in the Respect and Priority Area with ranges between 24.11 and 29.1 µg/m3. The principal damage over the historical material is the dirt by deposit with a total area of 107.55 m2 over the four analyzed sections.

Año de publicación:

2019

Keywords:

Fuente:

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