Starting points
Not all cities are the same , so understanding our partner cities ’ lifestyles and locations has been a key focus for the ClairCity policy team . Here , we summarise some of the main findings from the Policy Baseline reports
Geography matters Political maps
The geographical location of a city is an important influence on air quality . Both Bristol and Ljubljana are situated in basins , so when weather conditions are calm there is poor dispersion of air pollution . In Sosnowiec winter temperatures average below freezing with consequent high heating demand ; and low winds that contribute to pollution remaining over the city . On the other hand , prevailing wind patterns are favourable for air quality in Liguria , tending to blow pollutants away from the land .
The spheres of political influence affect air quality action across our case study areas . The Aveiro region has a history of inter-municipal cooperation , which has led to more opportunities to coordinate responses to the issue . Legal action against the national UK government has led to opportunities for local action in Bristol , with consultations on a “ Clean Air Zone ” for the city centre that would not have had the financial backing necessary from national government otherwise .
Transport priorities
There are big differences in the dominant transport modes and political narratives around mobility in each of our cities . In Bristol , Sosnowiec , the Aveiro region , Liguria and Ljubljana , cars dominate the roads . The Vespa scooter was first invented in Genoa and is a source of local as well as national identity and pride , which increases public resistance to curtailing moped use . The Aveiro region is relatively sparsely populated , making public transport options more expensive to implement , and Sosnowiec has not had a history of investment in its bus network , although this is now changing .
Energy sources
Resident options on home heating energy sources are partly determined by the history and location of their cities . The dependence on low-quality household stoves ( coal and waste fuelled ) are a key air quality problem in Sosnowiec . Similarly although to a lesser degree , the Aveiro housing stock tends to be poorly insulated and partly dependent on biomass burning stoves for domestic heating . In contrast , Amsterdam as well as Bristol both use gas as a dominant source of energy , which reduces the air quality impact of household heating for their residents .
On the other hand , Amsterdam is the famous example of a city bucking the car-dominance trend . More people have a bike in the city ( 72 %) than a driver ’ s license ( 66 %). Promisingly , even where car dominance has been a feature of the political landscape , our partner cities show that there is space for change . Ljubljana authorities pedestrianised central areas of the city in the face of initial public resistance , and the political calculation paid off : starting with just one street a decade ago , there is now widespread public support for the pedestrianised area which has expanded to cover an area of over 10 hectares in the city centre .
For more information see our baseline reports for each partner area at www . claircity . eu / reports
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