Understanding the role of air quality in the overall satisfaction
with the environment will open new dimensions for urban planning
and the development of urban spaces. Individuals' perception of
ambient environmental conditions, in particular microclimate, noise
and air quality, can influence the ‘liveability’ of a city. An in-depth
analysis of the human parameter will open new horizons for
evaluating the use of physical intervention through urban and built
form in urban design to improve environmental quality and increase
adaptive capacity to climate change. The impact on urban design, in
relation to the allocation of uses and activities in the urban context
could also be significant. Finally, it can indirectly inform air quality
management schemes and outreach campaigns by addressing the
public's interaction with the environment and motivation for change,
to induce environmentally sustainable behaviour. As Uzzell and
Moser (2006) highlight “it is not the quality of the environment, but
how people interact with it that may be a principal explanatory factor
in well-being”.