Parklet on Columbus. Note position in the R-O-W and the motorcycles in the background adjacent to eating areas.

Project Description, History and Methodology

Thesis:    "What  impact  does increasing vehicle traffic on  Columbus Avenue have on the people who are walking, bicycling , but most importantly on people eating along Columbus Avenue in outdoor/indoor restaurants  and parklets?"

Project Methodology:  After studying the history of the street and how air pollution is measured along with learning about the  possible human impacts from air pollution, we decided to proceed as follows;   acquire  measuring devices that would enable the measurement of CO, NO2, CO2, 2.5 and 10 micron particles, relative humidity, temperature, wind direction and wind speed.  We also acquired  a decibel meter to measure sound levels. We acquired the equipment from donations.

First  Measurements:  We  took our first measurements on a sunny weekend  late in the afternoon.  We started by using the CO, NOx and particulate monitors.  The particulate monitor was a calibrated professional monitor with on board memory and a serial port for downloading the  continuous  per second data collection.  It soon became clear that having a read-out of street data would not be helpful  if there was no  observation as to what was causing large spikes in pollution levels--especially particulate levels. We decided to focus on particulate levels and to start identifying locations along the street that seemed to have consistently high particulate levels and also identifying which kinds of vehicles caused spikes in the particulates. We later moved inside of restaurants and measured particulate levels inside while simultaneously measuring the particulate level at the streets edge.   Based on what we  learned we proceeded  on our long-term  monitoring  of the street.  We also began to film our project.

Project  steps:
1. History of  Columbus- found that the street had been widened around WWII  taking about 8 feet of sidewalk for car use leaving approximately 8-10 feet of sidewalk.  This sidewalk contains 3 foot  tables leaving a small  walkway for increasingly large numbers of pedestrians.

2.Reviewed  San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority (SFMTA aka  "Muni) 2010 Columbus Ave  street plan for  data on pedestrian use and traffic patterns.

3. Reviewed EPA air pollution information and studies.

4.  Took hundreds of  measurements along  Columbus from Vallejo to Lombard  Streets.  Air measurements of gas (CO, CO2 and NO2) were not conclusive but the particulate  measurements  seemed meaningful.

5. Continued with real time particulate measurements along Columbus with measurements taken in different times,  weather conditions and traffic  levels.

6. Began  identifying  major pollution sources .  Started to  monitor and measure those sources under varying conditions.

7.  Suggested by Zelda's Environmental  Science teacher to  prepare and submit a film  for the Clear the Air Film Festival.
Having found out late about the film festival, we wrote and produced the film in just a few weeks and then submitted the film  to the  festival by the submittal date.  Film won first place at the  film festival. Due to the success of the film the producers of the Green Film Festival invited the team  to a special workshop to learn more about filmmaking. Group subsequently made a short film "Climate Change" which was selected for screening at the San Francisco Green Film Festival

8.  Began  study to  determine particulate dispersion  pattern.  Measured surrounding blocks off of Columbus and also  took detailed wind direction and  wind speed measurements  along  Columbus-especially in the main eating area between Vallejo and  Green.

9.  Began simultaneous  measurements of  street edge  particulate  emissions  with  indoor  restaurant  particulate levels to  see if  street  particulate levels may affect indoor levels. The group is looking at  how naturally ventilated and mechanically ventilated  restaurants respond  to  increasing exterior  particulate levels.

10.  Group  begins  developing a  longer  film on their project which will include  their initial  work but also their more recent work on  pollution dispersal, health  effects of particulate  pollution on  human's and also on  the relationship between Columbus pollution levels and pollution levels in  adjacent restaurants.

11. Group 's film "Columbus Discovers Air Pollution has been invited by the San Francisco Urban Film Festival for screening at their  festival  at SPUR  in downtown San Francisco.  The group will participate in a panel discussion  immediately after the screening. The  panel will consist of  Street Air team members and members of the  City of San Francisco  Planning Department.  The discussion will center around Street Air's recommended  design changes for parklets and other eating spaces along  Columbus along with other recommendations the group  plans to make.

12. Group will write a white paper on their project and the results of their  study.  The paper will also include policy changes that haven taken place with local governments as a result of this project.

​​Goals of StreetAir

• To do research on  environmental issues that lead to policy changes.
• To monitor and determine how street side particle emissions may affect nearby restaurant employees.
• To make a more comprehensive and technically advanced film of our Columbus Ave study. 
• To do more investigations of  the  movement and dispersal of the particles within the  street corridor.
• To write a paper documenting our project.

With an outdoor eating "parklet" to the left and cafe tables to the right, the sidewalks along Columbus are full of outdoor eating places.