In January 2025, New York City launched the first congestion pricing program in the United States, offering a rare real-world test of how traffic policy affects air quality. This Keynote brings together researchers from environmental science, economics, and political science, who used high-frequency monitoring data to conduct the first zone-specific causal evaluation of the policy's PM2.5 impacts.
The study found substantial pollution reductions within Manhattan's congestion zone, with spillover benefits across the city and region. The discussion will unpack methods, results, and implications for urban policy, public health, and environmental justice. As other U.S. cities consider similar programs, these findings offer crucial insights into congestion pricing's potential as a tool for improving air quality and addressing environmental inequities in urban areas.
