The angry rumble of a speeding SUV. The metallic smog of backlogged traffic. The aching heat of sun-dried neighbourhoods baking in an oven of concrete and asphalt.<\/p>\n
For most people, the mundane threats that plague our environments are likely to annoy more than they spark dread. But for scientists who know just how dangerous our surroundings can be, the burden of knowledge weighs heavy each day. Across Europe<\/a>, environmental risks cause 18% of deaths from cardiovascular disease and 10% of deaths from cancer. Traffic crashes in the EU kill five times more people than murders.<\/p>\n Are safe and healthy cities just a distant fantasy? Here are four environmental health experts on life in some of Europe\u2019s greenest capitals.<\/p>\n Copenhagen, Denmark<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cCopenhagen is for sure one of the best cities to live in,\u201d says Zorana Jovanovic Andersen during her morning walk-and-metro to work at the University of Copenhagen\u2019s public health department.<\/p>\n The environmental epidemiologist is astonished that 30-40% of the Danish capital gets to work or school on their bikes each day, keeping their bodies moving while avoiding the deadly fumes that cars spew. \u201cThose are amazing statistics,\u201d says Andersen. \u201cIt\u2019s because of very conscious investment in bike lanes and infrastructure \u2013 and taking away some road space from cars.\u201d<\/p>\n Excellent public transport and walkable neighbourhoods add to the feeling of freedom for Andersen, who moved to Copenhagen from the US midwest in 2001 and feels liberated from the car dependence she saw there. \u201cFreedom is having a choice of different things, not just having one really bad choice,\u201d she says. \u201cFreedom is living in a city like here, where you can breathe clean air and choose your lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n Andersen\u2019s research into air pollution still preys on her mind \u2013 friends recently bought a wood-burning stove, a potent source of toxic particles<\/a>, and cars still flood the city at rush hour \u2013 but she is reluctant to shame people in the absence of good regulations. She wishes Copenhagen would introduce congestion pricing and ultra low-emissions zones, like in London.<\/p>\n Copenhagen has a positive story to tell on any metric, says Andersen, but its air is still dirty enough to make people sick and worsen their lives. \u201cEven with the low levels in Denmark<\/a>, we see the contrast in air pollution explain some kids getting poorer grades.\u201d<\/p>\n Vienna, Austria<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe quality of life is out-of-this-world positive,\u201d says Mathew White, an environmental psychologist at the University of Vienna. \u201cIt\u2019s an absolutely wonderful place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n Vienna is characterised by an abundance of green space Photograph: rusm\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Widespread social housing, an abundance of green space and a well-integrated public transport network contribute to the Austrian capital regularly being ranked the most livable city in the world. White, who specialises in ecological public health, says access to parks in Austria<\/a> is better shared out between rich and poor neighbourhoods than in countries such as the UK. \u201cWhen we look at Vienna, in particular, we notice that the use of these green spaces is good at reducing related health inequalities.\u201d<\/p>\n Spending time in nature is thought to build resilience to the stresses of daily life, and White\u2019s research has shown that the wellbeing of poorer people in Vienna is higher than otherwise be expected, due to time spent in nature. Parks and cheap flats are spread out around the city, and public transport costs just \u20ac1 a day, encouraging even marginalised communities to get together outside.<\/p>\n What Vienna lacks are the cycle lanes of Copenhagen, says White. There is also a looming political threat to its green ideals. The far-right Freedom party won national elections in September, and while centrist parties formed a coalition without it, White fears the shift may undermine the city\u2019s progressive policies. \u201cIt\u2019s not an environmental threat per se, but it\u2019s the threat of the kind of politics that wants to disregard environmental issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Barcelona, Spain<\/strong>A \u2018superilla\u2019 (superblock) promoting cycling and car-free zones in Barcelona. Photograph: Josep Lago\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n When Mark Nieuwenhuijsen moved to Barcelona<\/a> 20 years ago, there were two weeks each summer that he found too hot. Nowadays, there are two months. \u201cIt\u2019s unbearable to a lot of people,\u201d said Nieuwenhuijsen, director of urban planning, environment and health at the research institute ISGlobal.<\/p>\n Heat worsens the air quality in Barcelona, which is scarred by urban motorways and suffers from high traffic density, but its fightback has inspired cities around the world. The introduction of several superblocks \u2013 lively, walkable neighbourhoods that prioritise people over cars \u2013 and \u201cgreen axes\u201d since 2016 has improved health and livebility. If the city were to fulfil its original plan to create 503 superblocks, it would save far more lives and money, Nieuwenhuijsen\u2019s research<\/a> has found.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would see a quite different, much greener Barcelona: more livable, less air pollution, less noise,\u201d he says. \u201cUnfortunately, it has not been implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n Political enthusiasm for the project has dwindled, leaving Nieuwenhuijsen wishing that the city\u2019s leadership would be brave enough to follow the example of Dutch cities and take more space away from cars. Pushing more vehicles out of the city would clean up the air and avoid heat from engines and infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t realise how quickly we\u2019re heating up in the Mediterranean,\u201d he says. \u201cWe need to adapt the city much faster.\u201d<\/p>\n London, UK<\/strong>Cyclists meet car traffic at Clapham Common in south London. Photograph: Guy Bell\/Rex\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n \u201cBy far the best thing about London<\/a> is the green space,\u201d says Audrey de Nazelle, a scientist at Imperial College London who co-chairs the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology\u2019s policy committee. \u201cThe amount of parks really makes it the green capital of Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n The challenge, she says, is getting to them. The large parks near her home are \u201cextremely dangerous\u201d to access, with a lack of pedestrian crossings and vehicles that speed through without looking. An increase in car width of 2cm a year due to the SUV boom<\/a> \u2013 \u201cabsolutely mind-boggling\u201d \u2013 adds to the risk that people face when they walk or bike.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should not be like this in a civilised country like the UK,\u201d says de Nazelle, adding that her husband hates to see her or their children get on their bikes. \u201cI have cycled all my life and will cycle no matter what. But now that I have children, I am acutely aware of the hazards and dangers.\u201d<\/p>\n De Nazelle moved to London 13 years ago from Barcelona having previously lived in Paris. Those two cities have made \u201cmajor efforts\u201d<\/a> to reduce car dependence<\/a> since she left, but she finds London to be \u201cnot sufficiently visionary\u201d in its approach.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s introduction of an ultra-low emissions zone has been relatively effective \u201cbut it\u2019s a missed opportunity to get people out of cars\u201d, says de Nazelle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The angry rumble of a speeding SUV. The metallic smog of backlogged traffic. 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