Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
VI. INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, Amasya, Türkiye, 13 - 14 Kasım 2025, ss.652-676, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
In cities, high population density, heavy use of cars, hard surfaces, and high energy use are some of the biggest environmental challenges that make the air quality worse and harm people's health. Nitrogen oxides (NO, NO₂) and particulate matter (PM₂.₅), which are among the most common pollutants in these areas, accumulate in the urban atmosphere and pose serious threats to both ecosystems and human health. In this study, the city center of Rize was selected as the study area due to its characteristics such as high traffic density, dense urban fabric, and low green space ratio. In this context, the effectiveness of roadside vegetation (street trees and etc.) in reducing air pollutants was evaluated using the ENVI-met microclimate simulation software. Within the model, a typical street canyon was created in the urban fabric, and two scenarios (non-vegetated and vegetated) were developed to examine the influence of green infrastructure elements on NO, NO₂, and particulate matter distributions. In the 24 hour simulation scenarios conducted with ENVI-met version 5.8, meteorological parameters were kept constant, and both horizontal and vertical pollutant distributions were analyzed. Additionally, to reflect the diurnal
variation in urban air quality, hourly emission changes were integrated into the model using the ENVI-met Traffic Toolbox module. The findings indicate that vegetation density and configuration play a significant role in directing airflow, capturing particulate matter on leaf surfaces, and influencing pollutant concentrations. Consequently, the study concludes that street tree planting is an effective green infrastructure strategy for improving air quality, and that microclimate simulations are a useful tool for planning pollutant reduction strategies