Particulate matter (PM) deposited on Platanus acerifolia tree leaves has been sampled in the urban areas of 28 European cities, over 20 countries, with the aim of testing leaf deposited particles as indicator of atmospheric PM concentration and composition. Leaves have been collected close to streets characterized by heavy traffic and within urban parks. Leaf surface density, dimensions, and elemental composition of leaf deposited particles have been compared with leaf magnetic content, and discussed in connection with air quality data. The PM quantity and size were mainly dependent on the regional background concentration of particles, while the percentage of iron-based particles emerged as a clear marker of traffic-related pollution in most of the sites. This indicates that Platanus acerifolia is highly suitable to be used in atmospheric PM monitoring studies and that morphological and elemental characteristics of leaf deposited particles, joined with the leaf magnetic content, may successfully allow urban PM source apportionment.
This paper classifies the streets of the city of Orestiada, Greece, and examines the correlation between the geometric characteristics of streets and the appropriate height of trees that form the street tree lines so that the microclimate in each street may be improved. The rows of trees improve the aesthetic quality of the urban spaces, and also strengthen the sense of enclosure through tree planting, especially in monot-onous urban landscapes. Our main aim is to augment the veg-etation in urban areas to achieve the greatest shading of streets in order to contribute to the improvement of the urban environ-ment in terms of bioclimatic conditions. The methodology used in this paper aims to promote the use of trees in urban design, and to evaluate the effects of shading at the city scale with regard to microclimate and energy saving, and to develop tree selection and design guidelines for recommended planting pro-grams. It is expected that the results of the study will be useful to Urban Planners, Urban Arboriculturists, Urban Foresters and Landscape Architects that are engaged in the design and con-struction of streetscapes in Mediterranean region.
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