Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 11, 2026

A Networked Desktop Virtual Reality Setup for Decision Science and Navigation Experiments with Multiple Participants
Published on: August 26, 2018
Discovering environmental health effects of transport scenarios through agent-based simulations
Tabea S Sonnenschein1, Simon Scheider2, G Ardine de Wit3
1Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Institute of Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Urban planning can help tackle environmental health issues. We demonstrate that agent-based simulation can discover unintended as well as intended environmental health effects and social inequalities of intervention scenarios. We developed, calibrated and validated UrbHealth-ABM, an empirically grounded agent-based model of Amsterdam The Netherlands, integrating data and models of individual mobility choices, traffic, air pollution, physical activity and personal exposure. We used the 2019 parking price increase as a natural experiment, confirming the models' accuracy in predicting traffic reduction. Projections for the planned 2030 no emission zone show a significant reduction of nitrogen dioxide exposure for everyone and an increase in transport-related physical activity, especially for less affluent outer-city residents. However, disproportionate increases in their travel times raise equity concerns. Several 15-minutes city scenarios reveal that although driving may increase to distant destinations, nitrogen dioxide exposure decreases overall. Moreover, transport-related physical activity might decrease in the Amsterdam context due to shorter active travel distances, but travel time savings could be used for mitigation strategies.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Mechanistic Models: Compartment Models in Individual and Population Analysis
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Blood Flow-Limited Versus Diffusion-Limited Models
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...

