Ben Schiller reports on two new air quality sensors that show you pollution comparisons of the air you are breathing right now.
Most of us rely on official air quality data taken from the EPA monitoring stations to gauge the health of the air we breathe. But, what if we could have air quality information for the air that we are breathing right now, not the air surrounding a monitoring station located several miles away?
Two Kickstarter projects Air Quality Eggs and Smart Citizen aim to do just that. According to Ben Schiller, these DIY units are much more affordable (Air Quality Egg costs $350) compared to EPA monitoring stations, which cost $15,000. For now, neither of these individual sensors' pollution data come close to the accuracy of EPA monitoring stations, but they are still useful in displaying "relative air quality." Schiller quotes Mike Barnett, who teaches science at Boston College and is currently working on distributing the sensors: "You can't look up a particular monitor and see what the particulate matter level is. But they're fantastic for comparative analysis." Though it is unlikely that these individual sensors will replace EPA's monitoring stations, as more people outfit their homes and offices with them, they may provide us with air pollution data at a finer scale to complement EPA's regional-scale air pollution data.
FULL STORY: Citizen Air Quality Sensors Cover The Places Governments Can't Reach

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip
Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont