Easton, Pennsylvania Development News

Community Bike Works Project to Monitor Urban Heat and Air Pollution Presented to Council

The City Council received a presentation on the 'Uncovering the Valley's Hidden Heat and Pollution Islands' project, a collaborative effort between Community Bike Works, Penn State's Civic Science and Technology program, and the City of Allentown. This project aims to create citizen scientists in Allentown and Easton to gather data on heat and air quality issues, addressing a significant lack of localized data in Easton. The initiative utilizes air quality sensors, funded by a $16,000 grant from the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), to measure pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, carbon dioxide, VOC Cs, nitrogen dioxides, and ozone. The data collected will help identify pollution hotspots, understand the inversion effect in valleys, and inform urban conservation efforts such as strategic green space and tree planting. Community Bike Works participants, including students like Trayvon and Egypt, are actively involved in collecting this data through bike rides, highlighting personal experiences with asthma and the impact of poor air quality. The project also aims to leverage this data for future policy decisions and urban planning.