Description:
<jats:p>In developing an economic-sociological theory of air quality, we begin from the assumption that the underlying causes of air pollution are economic growth and changing social organization. Development of such a model is desirable for at least two reasons. First, the potential hazards of air pollution are so great that a model that predicts air pollution levels for metropolitan areas is greatly needed. Further refinements of work in this direction, including the model developed below, will enable more accurate predictions to be made. Second, a model that identifies the underlying causes of air pollution will allow us to estimate more accurately the true costs of air pollution abatement and further economic growth. Both aspects of this research will be of interest to planners who are considering the impact of certain economic activities in new towns and growing regions. The results will also be of interest to social scientists sutdying the impact of community structure on environmental quality.</jats:p>