A Statistical Analysis of Traffic-Related Pollution and City Center Dynamics in Ankara: The Cases of Ulus and Kızılay

Abstract

Urban pollution, which reduces the quality of life of residents and poses a vital threat to human health, can be reduced by effective city planning. Pollution due to heavy metals is increasing in today’s cities, and these heavy metals are of particular concern because as they do not naturally decompose on earth, they can bioaccumulate in the human body and cause serious diseases. It is, however, possible to reduce exposure to pollutants through making spatial decisions. The research aims to determine the variation of concentrations of Mn by location, which is greatly affected by the poor air quality caused by traffic density. Within the scope of the study, the following species were analyzed: Robinia pseudoacacia, Platanus orientalis, Acer negundo, Fraxinus excelsior, Ailanthus altissima, Aesculus hippocastanum, and Tilia tomentosa. Samples were taken from Ulus, the traditional center of the political capital of Ankara, and Kızılay, its modern center. Although the two areas of research are close to each other, the traffic density had increased due to the current planning decisions in Kızılay, while Ulus was chosen as a region with relatively low vehicle density due to its historical structure. It was found that four wood species have higher values in their leaves and wood, and five wood species have higher values in their bark in the Kızılay region, as compared to Ulus. This demonstrates that motor vehicles have a significant effect in Kızılay. In addition, the values of the leaves and bark of the same wood are higher in Kızılay than Ulus. It has therefore been determined that A.negundo and F. excelsior are suitable species for use in urban planting design to monitor the concentrations of heavy elements in the air.