Hidden Air: Urbanization, the Built Environment and Indoor Air Quality in China

Date: 

Thursday, March 2, 2017, 3:30pm to 4:45pm

Location: 

Pierce Hall 100 F, 29 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA

Speaker: Gary Adamkiewicz

Gary ADAMKIEWICZ, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Exposure Disparities, Department of Environment Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Sponsored by China Project, Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Abstract: China’s recent economic growth and rate of urbanization are unprecedented in human history.  These driving forces create great opportunities and present significant challenges.  While cities have always been engines of creativity and innovation, they can also put strains on natural systems, often consume energy unsustainably and produce environmental pollution which threatens human health. This motivates our key question: How do we create healthy and sustainable cities in the next century?  Few studies on the connections between the attributes of urban residential housing and health have been conducted in China.  Our recent studies, including a large cross-sectional survey-based effort in Suzhou, aim to address some key questions on how the built environment can shape population health.  This seminar will highlight some of our efforts to understand how indoor and outdoor environments are changing in China in ways that directly impact health.  We will also discuss how indoor environments can mitigate some of the health risks from outdoor air pollution.