Articles | Volume 21, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8313-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8313-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Opinion
| 
31 May 2021
Opinion |
| 31 May 2021
| 31 May 2021
Opinion: Gigacity – a source of problems or the new way to sustainable development
Markku Kulmala
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Joint International Research Laboratory of Atmospheric and Earth System Sciences, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Aerosol and Haze Laboratory, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
Tom V. Kokkonen
Joint International Research Laboratory of Atmospheric and Earth System Sciences, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Juha Pekkanen
Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, Helsinki 00014, Finland
Environmental Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
Sami Paatero
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Tuukka Petäjä
Joint International Research Laboratory of Atmospheric and Earth System Sciences, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Aerosol and Haze Laboratory, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
Veli-Matti Kerminen
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Joint International Research Laboratory of Atmospheric and Earth System Sciences, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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- A comparative study of the effects of urban morphology on land surface temperature in Chengdu and Chongqing, China D. Wen et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77036-y
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- Understanding atmospheric processes: insights from the comparison between Beijing and Hyytiälä M. Kulmala et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44407-025-00020-x
- Evaluating the effect of building patterns on urban flooding based on a boosted regression tree: A case study of Beijing, China Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14932
- Effects of aerosols on the atmospheric boundary layer temperature inversion over the Sichuan Basin, China Y. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2021.118647
- Cross-regional PM2.5 sulfate transport to the Pearl River delta: dynamics and chemistry K. Qu et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44407-026-00057-6
- The effect of urban morphological characteristics on the spatial variation of PM2.5 air quality in downtown Nanjing T. Kokkonen et al. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EA00035G
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- Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR): Showcases for making science diplomacy H. Lappalainen et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247421000760
- The effect of cross-regional transport on ozone and particulate matter pollution in China: A review of methodology and current knowledge K. Qu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174196
- Optimizing human thermal comfort and mitigating the urban heat island effect on public open spaces in Rome, Italy through sustainable design strategies N. Ahmed et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65794-8
- Earth observation: An integral part of a smart and sustainable city E. Gerasopoulos et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.02.033
- Influences of the window size and reflectivity on surrounding thermal environment J. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122536
- Integrated eco-economic zoning and carbon neutrality zoning into the PLUS model to simulate land use change in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area M. Zhan et al. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20610
- Submicron aerosol pollution in Greater Cairo (Egypt): A new type of urban haze? A. Christodoulou et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108610
- The variation in the particle number size distribution during the rainfall: wet scavenging and air mass changing G. Niu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7521-2023
- Addressing Data Challenges to Drive the Transformation of Smart Cities E. Gilman et al. https://doi.org/10.1145/3663482
- Secondary organic aerosol formed by condensing anthropogenic vapours over China’s megacities W. Nie et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00922-5
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- Maintaining key ecosystem services under multiple development scenarios: A case study in Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao greater bay Area, China D. Wen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110691
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 09 Jun 2026
Short summary
The eastern part of China as a whole is practically a gigacity with 650 million inhabitants. The gigacity, with its emissions, processes in the pollution cocktail and numerous feedbacks and interactions, has a crucial and big impact on regional air quality and on global climate. A large-scale research and innovation program is needed to meet the interlinked grand challenges in this gigacity and to serve as a platform for finding pathways for sustainable development of the globe.
The eastern part of China as a whole is practically a gigacity with 650 million inhabitants. The...
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