(D03) Greenscapes to Brownscapes: A Pilot Project for Reclaiming Highways

As cities increase in density, more people are living near and adjacent to major highway networks. This session brings together leaders from government, academia and industry who have completed phase one of a pilot study that collected real time pollution monitoring data from a corridor along Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. This novel project, supported by an independent grant from the Landscape Architecture Foundation, offers a glimpse into how cities can develop new strategies that address the quantitative research of the impacts of living near and adjacent to highways on the health and culture of communities.

This pilot study focused on a quantitative assessment of the accumulation of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in public landscapes in order to better understand human exposure to near-road pollution. Field testing and interpretation was supported by an interdisciplinary advisory group, with multi-industry outreach. This dynamic engagement framework now informs the research data collected, and enabled the team to draw conclusions from designers, scientists and policy makers that can be deployed for the future development of these spaces.