Citation
Gurjar, Bhola Ram (Lead Author); Ajay Singh Nagpure and Tushar Pratap Singh (Contributing Authors); Howard Hanson (Topic Editor). 2008. "Air quality in megacities." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth February 4, 2008; Last revised February 9, 2008; Retrieved August 24, 2008].
Excerpt
"Epidemiological studies have established the link between air pollutants and health effects. There are possible short-term and long-term health effects of exposure to air pollution. In the short term, high levels of air pollution can lead to an acute respiratory distress. In addition, blockage of sunlight may promote the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses that would otherwise be killed by ultraviolet B. …"
GCNA Comment
Although Oakland does not qualify as a megacity, the points made in this article are relevant. When evaluating the socio-environmental effects of unprecendented population growth, building density and highrise development, it is important to view the whole of the Bay Area rather than to isolate individual cities. When the accumulation of excessive development from each individual city stretches throughout the urbanized coastal area of this region, the Bay Area could be redefined as a single, densely populated, megacity. Nearly all Bay Area cities are tailoring their urban planning around the "smart growth" model. This calls for increased infill development, denser coverage on urban lots, higher FAR ratios, and the indiscriminate construction of high rises. This is planned as a means of corraling the majority of the Bay Area population into geographically confined areas.
Building higher is not a viable solution to increased building density in the urban cores since high-rises carry environmental hazards of their own that will decrease the quality of life for city dwellers. The potential for the proliferation of viral and bacterial pathogens encouraged by the diminution of sunlight at ground and lower story levels of the city is just one of these.