Efficient Use of Resources: Air
A region that uses land inefficiently and is highly dependent on the automobile is likely to create significant challenges for its air quality.
Average Days Air Quality Was Unhealthy, 1995-2005
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The data measures the average number of days air quality was "unhealthy for sensitive
groups" or "unhealthy," according to the U.S. EPA's Air Quality Index. The following pollutants
were included: carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and fine and coarse particles.
Despite being the first large metropolitan area to attain air quality standards in the mid-1990s, the number of days the air has been unhealthy in the Kansas City area since then puts its air quality in the lower half of its peer group.
Should the region's air quality deteriorate further, more stringent air quality policies — with their attendant costs — may be required.
Perhaps more importantly, dirty air diminishes metropolitan Kansas City's inherent attractiveness and hurts its ability to compete for talented people.
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