Land use planning: sectoral solutions for air pollution and health

Overview

Exposure to air pollution and its associated health impacts are affected by land use practices including their regulation and enforcement. Understanding the complex relationship between air pollution and land use planning is an essential step in developing policies that efficiently reduce the impacts of air pollution on the health and well-being of populations. This makes land use planning a key priority for addressing ambient air pollution across rural, peri-urban and urban areas worldwide.

Land use planning: sectoral solutions for air pollution and health highlights the linkages between land use, air pollution and the implications on health. Exposure to air pollution and its associated health impacts are affected by land use planning decisions, including their regulation and enforcement. Understanding the interconnected relationship between air pollution and land use planning is critical for developing policies that can efficiently and effectively reduce air pollution impacts on health, environment and climate change. 

This document is part of the WHO Air Quality, Energy, and Health Science and Policy Summaries (SPS). These summaries provide concise overviews of current knowledge and evidence on air quality, energy access, climate change, and health. They aim to support decision-makers by presenting key insights from scientific research.

The SPS are developed through a multistakeholder consultation process that includes experts from WHO Advisory Groups – i.e., the Scientific Advisory Group on Air Pollution and Health (SAG), and the Global Air Pollution and Health – Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG) – as well as specialists from WHO Collaborating Centres, UN agencies as well as other experts from academia and civil society.

All Science and Policy Summaries can be accessed here