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Urban landscapes present unique air quality challenges, which are compounded by climate change adaptation challenges, as air pollutants can also be affected by the urban heat island effect, amplifying the deleterious effects on health. Nature-based solutions have shown potential for alleviating environmental stressors, including air pollution and heat wave abatement. However, such solutions must be designed in order to maximize mitigation and not inadvertently increase pollutant exposure. This study aims to demonstrate potential applications of nature-based solutions in urban environments for climate stressors and air pollution mitigation by analyzing two distinct scenarios with and without green infrastructure. Utilizing low-cost sensors, we examine the relationship between green infrastructure and a series of environmental parameters. While previous studies have investigated green infrastructure and air quality mitigation, our study employs low-cost sensors in tropical urban environments. Through this novel approach, we are able to obtain highly localized data that demonstrates this mitigating relationship. In this study, as a part of the NERC-FAPESP-funded GreenCities project, four low-cost sensors were validated through laboratory testing and then deployed in two locations in S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil: one large, heavily forested park (CIENTEC) and one small park surrounded by densely built areas (FSP). At each site, one sensor was located in a vegetated area (Park sensor) and one near the roadside (Road sensor). The locations selected allow for a comparison of built versus green and blue areas. Lidar data were used to characterize the profile of each site based on surrounding vegetation and building area. Distance and class of the closest roadways were also measured for each sensor location. These profiles are analyzed against the data obtained through the low-cost sensors, considering both meteorological (temperature, humidity and pressure) and particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10) parameters. Particulate matter concentrations were lower for the sensors located within the forest site. At both sites, the road sensors showed higher concentrations during the daytime period. These results further reinforce the capabilities of green\u2013blue\u2013gray infrastructure (GBGI) tools to reduce exposure to air pollution and climate stressors, while also showing the importance of their design to ensure maximum benefits. The findings can inform decision-makers in designing more resilient cities, especially in low-and middle-income settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph22020306","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,18]],"date-time":"2025-02-18T12:16:37Z","timestamp":1739880997000},"page":"306","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Exploring Climate and Air Pollution Mitigating Benefits of Urban Parks in Sao Paulo Through a Pollution Sensor Network"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"given":"Patrick","family":"Connerton","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Programa de P\u00f3s-Gradua\u00e7\u00e3o em Sa\u00fade Global e Sustentabilidade, Faculdade de Sa\u00fade P\u00fablica, Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo, S\u00e3o Paulo 01246-904, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5143-0658","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thiago","family":"Nogueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sa\u00fade Ambiental, Faculdade de Sa\u00fade P\u00fablica, Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo, S\u00e3o Paulo 01246-904, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2462-4411","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Prashant","family":"Kumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), School of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK"},{"name":"Institute for Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5351-8311","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"de Fatima Andrade","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Ci\u00eancias Atmosf\u00e9ricas, Instituto de Astronomia, Geof\u00edsica e Ci\u00eancias Atmosf\u00e9ricas, Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo, S\u00e3o Paulo 05508-090, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1321-7060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Helena","family":"Ribeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sa\u00fade Ambiental, Faculdade de Sa\u00fade P\u00fablica, Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo, S\u00e3o Paulo 01246-904, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"GBD (2020). 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators Global Burden of 87 Risk Factors in 204 Countries and Territories, 1990\u20132019: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. 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