Larger and more diverse cities are a sign of Asia s increasingly dynamic economies. Two decades of unparalleled growth have, however, come at a cost. Swelling urban populations and increased concentration of industry and automobile traffic in and around cities have resulted in severe air pollution, threatening human health and undermining the productivity of the urban population.

Urban Air Quality Management Strategy (URBAIR) aims to assist in the design and implementation of policies, monitoring, and management to restore air quality in Asian metropolitan areas. This Guidebook details the steps in an air quality management system (AQMS). It is intended for use in conjunction with city-level data. Planners, economists, and engineers may refer to it as a sourcebook for technical assistance. It provides details on air quality modeling, choices of abatement measures and how cost-benefit analysis can be used to guide selection of appropriate measures. It summarizes the components of a general action plan to manage and control air pollution.

Laws and regulations are essential instruments in the air pollution control process. Equally important are strict enforcement and institutions capable of regularly assessing air-quality-related damages and their costs. In addition, public awareness of health impacts from polluted air involves the citizens and media in the process.

The Guidebook outlines common air pollution laws and regulations and policy instruments. The latter may range from simple command and control instruments to communication tools. The Guidebook presents a five-step action plan for creating an AQMS specific to a city s circumstances. Abatement measures in the plan are categorized according to cost-effectiveness, as well as the time required to implement them and when they would become effective.

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	115 pp.