Projects
at a Glance
Selected Projects
Bathurst Quay Neighborhood Air Quality Study
Research Objectives
Evaluation on the impacts of transportation-related emissions from Billy Bishop airport and nearby highway on air pollution in local communities
Partnerships
Academic partners: Prof. M. Hatzopoulou, Prof. G. Evans, Prof. J. Brook, Prof. J. Siegel, and Prof. A. Chan from the University of Toronto
Project partners: Bathurst Quay Neighborhood Association, City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health, Ports Toronto
Funding Sources
NSERC Alliance grant
Trainees
Emily Farrar, Weaam Jaafar, Junshi Xu, etc.
Air Quality Coordination for Construction Hubs
Research Objectives
Understand the impact of construction activities and machinery on air emissions and air quality ; Engage with the local community and assess exposure of residents at representative homes
Partnerships
Academic partners: Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research (SOCAAR), Transportation and Air Quality Research Group (TRAQ) and Prof. J. Brook from the University of Toronto
Project partners: City of Toronto
Funding Sources
City of Toronto
Trainees
Weaam Jaafar, Emily Farrar, Junshi Xu, etc.
Air Quality Impacts of Fracking and Environmental Justice
Research Objectives
Generate modelled air pollution concentrations to study the impact of hydraulic fracturing on rural communities in northeastern British Columbia, Canada
Partnerships
Academic partners: Prof. M. Hatzopoulou, Prof. H. MacLean at the University of Toronto
Funding Sources
XSeed Grant
Trainees
Miranda Doris, Jad Zalzal
Decarbonizing the University of Toronto Community
Research Objectives
Decarbonizing the University of Toronto community: How can we enable more sustainable and equitable personal choices across the three campuses?
Partnerships
Academic partners: Investigators from three UofT initiatives (Mobility Network, Positive Zero, and Mobilizing Justice) and three UofT campuses (St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough)
Funding Sources
Climate Positive Energy and Climate Positive Campus
Urban Scanner Project
Research Objectives
Urban Scanner is an integrated platform that provides high-resolution spatiotemporal air quality information within urban environments. It collects and combines a variety of information such as air pollution concentration, a 3D map of the city, traffic conditions, micro-weather patterns, etc.
Partnerships
Project partners: Scentroid Inc.
Funding Sources
Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage Grant, Health Effects Institute (HEI) grant
Trainees
Junshi Xu, Arman Ganji, Mingqian Zhang, Keni Mallinen, An Wang, etc.
Traffic, Air Quality, and Environmental Justice
Research Objectives
Disparities in exposure to traffic-related air pollution have been widely reported, while little work has been done to simultaneously assess the impact of vehicle types on populations of different socioeconomic/ethnic backgrounds. In this study, we employed a machine learning approach to spatially distribute light-duty vehicle and heavy-duty truck emissions across the city of Toronto from 2006 to 2020. We examined associations between these emissions and different marginalization indices across this time span.
Partnerships
Academic partners: Transportation and Air Quality Research Group (TRAQ) from the University of Toronto
Funding Sources
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada
Trainees
Jad Zalzal, Sara Torbatian, An Wang, Junshi Xu, etc.
Traffic Emission Prediction Scheme (TEPS)
Research Objectives
Predicting road traffic volume and on-road emissions in urban areas, using traffic count data to predict periodic and annual volumes as well as GHG emissions at the level of each roadway for various years
Partnerships
Academic partners: Transportation and Air Quality Research Group (TRAQ) from the University of Toronto
Principal Investigators
Dr. A. Ganji (Senior Research Associate) and Prof. M. Hatzopoulou
Website
https://teps.ca/
Assessing the Air Quality Benefits of Freight Fleet Electrification
Research Objectives
Model the reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions and related population exposure that might be achieved through increased adoption of zero emission trucks to carry commercial goods in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Region (GTHA).
Partnerships
Project partners: Transportation and Air Quality Research Group (TRAQ) from the University of Toronto; Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
Funding Sources
ECCC
Trainees
Sara Torbatian
Air Quality and Health Impacts of Freight Trucks
Research Objectives
Investigation on the effects of diesel commercial vehicles on air quality and population health and the social benefits of greening freight movements
Partnerships
Academic partners: Prof. M. Hatzopoulou, Prof. M. Roorda, and Prof. D. Posen from the University of Toronto
Funding Sources
Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Accelerator grant
Trainees
Laura Minet
Health Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Research Objectives
Development of a framework of estimating the impacts of greenhouse gas reduction on population health in Quebec
Partnerships
Project partners: Transportation and Air Quality Research Group (TRAQ) from the University of Toronto; Prof. A. Smargiassi from the University of Montreal
Project partners: Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC)
Funding Sources
MELCC
Trainees
Shayamila Gamage, Sara Torbatian, Arman Ganji, Jad Zalal, Shoma Yamanouchi, Liu Ying, etc.
