Maryam Bolhari

Supervised by:John Lamb

Dr. Vincent Onyango23.03.2016

The Potential of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to Better Address Air Quality in Single

Outcome Agreements (SOA)The Case of Urban Air Quality Management in

Scotland

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

Background

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

Aims

AIMS

The use of SOA to tackle poor air quality and the potential of SEA to better address air quality in

SOA

OBJECTIVES

Mapping ‘air quality’ in all 32 local authorities’ SOAs

a) Assessing the potential role of SEA b) To make recommendations on how to

improve SOAs to tackle poor air quality

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3

a) Case-study of selected four LAs to evaluate their air quality profiles

b) Compare selected LAs against each other

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

To what extent can reflecting urban air quality in SOAs tackle this issue in Scotland?

Research Questions

o What is the level of reflecting air quality issues in the SOA of different local authorities?

o Do the local authorities which have considered air quality issues in their SOAs have a better progress towards achieving their air quality objectives?

o Will applying the SEA to SOA provide more explicit commitments for community partnerships to address air quality issues?

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

Document Analysis

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

air quality has been addressed in their SOA

air quality has not been a priority in their SOA

• North Lanarkshire

• Dundee City

• Edinburgh• Fife

LAs with AQMA

Case-study

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

An online questionnaire survey was conducted to collect experts’ views.

Participants:• heads of departments within the four selected LAs• within the public sector• involved in SOA, air quality concerns of their local authorities and

SEA at some stages in their career

1st Opinion: • Applying SEA to Air Quality Action Plans as the best way to

ensure the air quality improvement

2nd Opinion:• the potential of SEA to improve SOA to help enhance air

quality in theory• the need for an obligation on LAs to focus on air quality

through their SOA to resource commitment and assist raising its priority status

Questionnaire Survey

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

A significant gap in coverage of environmental issues, including air quality in SOAs

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1No meaningful correlation between addressing air quality in SOA and achieving better air quality. However, this research showed that SOA could have positive impact on improving air quality.

• A potential role of SEA to make CPPs more committed to accurately address air quality issues in their SOAs

• A number of barriers: time-scale conflicts, being time-consuming and costly, lack of data and lack of work force

Conclusion

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari

To Spatial Planners• Spatial planners should try to raise awareness of their potential role in

community planning • Ownership of the application of SEA by spatial planners is highly

recommended

To CPPs and LAs• Raise awareness of communities of air pollution• CPPs recognise the essential need for spatial planning in promoting

SOAs to deliver community planning visions• Give greater priority to air quality issues within their SOAs• Provide measurable and robust outcomes and build more effective

monitoring systems

To Policy Makers • Ensure air quality issues are not sidelined in community planning • Encourage LAs to apply SEA to their SOA and AQAP by means of, for

instance, providing financial funding; otherwise applying some forms of obligation on LAs to assess the environmental impacts of their outcomes

Recommendations

Background

Research Questions

Aims

Document Analysis

Questionnaire Survey

Recommendations

Conclusion

Case-study

Maryam Bolhari THANK YOU!