Those interested in actually tackling the issue of high levels of particulate pollution in city streets can measure particulate levels by taking part in the ISPEX scheme, between 1 September and 15 October 2015, and measure particulate levels on their mobile phone (iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S). You receive a fitment to place over your mobile phone and take photographs of the sky (best in the morning and evening), an app translates the light to particulate figures.

Cities involved are : Athens, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Manchester, Milan, and Rome (pity Istanbul and Moscow are not covered).

iSPEX-EU is part of a LIGHT2015, a project funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. In Britain the Institute of Physics (IOP), is leading the local campaign activities, working closely with the Science & Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (STFC-RAL) and the iSPEX team at Leiden University in the Netherlands. The University of Manchester is collaborating as well. In London you can just collect the mobile phone fitment at the Institute of Physics, 80 Portland Place, London W1B 1N

It would be good if landscape architects supported the project by taking readings outside their homes and offices and on their journeys to work. Landscape architects can help ameliorate particulate pollution by planting urban street trees and vegetating buildings and can reduce particulate levels by promoting alternatives to hydrocarbon fuelled movement in cities, e.g. walking and cycling

Info generally on http://ispex-eu.org/

and for London write to:

london@ispex-eu.org