Azari-N, Rahman; Kim, Yong-woo. (2012). Comparative Assessment of Life Cycle Impacts of Curtain Wall Mullions. Building And Environment, 48(1), 135 – 145.
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Abstract
Glass curtain wall (Cw) systems have been inevitable elements of commercial buildings for over a century. The systems mainly consist of mullion materials and glazing units that are selected and designed to achieve the desired structural, thermal and daylighting performances as well as to meet cost and aesthetic concerns. The health and environmental life cycle impacts of CW systems, however, are not usually considered in design. The main objective of this paper is to study how change of mullion materials would affect the health and environmental impacts associated with a typical CW system over its life cycle. The mullion materials studied for the purpose of this paper include extruded aluminum, carbon steel and glulam timber. Also, the health and environmental impact categories of interest include global warming, acidification, eutrophication and human toxicity. To achieve the objective, a process-based cradle-to-gate attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied. Results indicate that CW system with glulam timber mullions causes the least and CW system with extruded aluminum mullions causes the most damage to the environment and human health over their life cycle. A CW system with carbon steel mullions falls in-between. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Commercial Building; Comparative Assessment; Curtain Walls; Environmental Life Cycle; Glass Curtain Walls; Inventory Analysis; Life Cycle Assessment (lca); Life Cycle Impacts; Aluminum Coated Steel; Ecodesign; Eutrophication; Global Warming; Health; Life Cycle; Office Buildings; Timber; Walls (structural Partitions); Energy; Wood; Products; Life Cycle Assessment; Environmental Impact; Curtain Wall; Mullion Material; Acidification; Aluminum; Attributional Life Cycle Assessment; Buildings; Carbon; Environmental Health; Glass; Glulam; Human Health; Humans; Materials Life Cycle; Steel; Toxicity
Streatfield, David C. (2012). The San Francisco Peninsula’s Great Estates: Part II. Eden, 15(2), 1 – 17.
Abstract
This article discusses the landscaping of American country estates built in late 19th century in San Francisco Peninsula. These estates are mentioned to have been influenced by the growing popularity of gardening in Europe. Andrew Jackson, America's first landscape architecture practitioner, is cited for promoting garden styles derived from English precedents. Some of the noteworthy estates built during the first three decades of 20th century are also described like New Place and Green Gables.
Keywords
Landscape Gardening; Country Homes; Gardening; Landscape Architecture; Europe; Jackson, Andrew
Maliszewski, Paul; Larson, Elisabeth; Perrings, Charles. (2013). Valuing the Reliability of the Electrical Power Infrastructure: A Two-Stage Hedonic Approach. Urban Studies, 50(1), 72 – 87.
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Abstract
The reliability of electrical power supply is amongst the conditions that inform house purchase decisions in all urban areas. Reliability depends in part on the conditions of the power generation and distribution infrastructures involved, and in part on environmental conditions. Its value to homeowners may be capitalised into the value of the house. In this paper, a hedonic pricing approach is used to estimate the capitalised value of the reliability offered by distribution infrastructures and the environmental conditions with which they interact in Phoenix, Arizona. A first stage estimates the impact of infrastructure and environmental conditions on reliability. In a second stage, the capitalised value of reliability from the marginal willingness to pay for reliability revealed by house purchase decisions is estimated and used to infer the value of both infrastructural characteristics and environmental conditions.
Keywords
Willingness-to-pay; Residential Property-values; Economic Valuation; Choice Experiment; Urban Wetlands; Air-quality; Benefits; Identifiability; Specification; Determinants
Drewnowski, A.; Moudon, A. V.; Jiao, J.; Aggarwal, A.; Charreire, H.; Chaix, B. (2014). Food Environment and Socioeconomic Status Influence Obesity Rates in Seattle and in Paris. International Journal Of Obesity, 38(2), 306 – 314.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the associations between food environment at the individual level, socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity rates in two cities: Seattle and Paris. METHODS: Analyses of the SOS (Seattle Obesity Study) were based on a representative sample of 1340 adults in metropolitan Seattle and King County. The RECORD (Residential Environment and Coronary Heart Disease) cohort analyses were based on 7131 adults in central Paris and suburbs. Data on sociodemographics, health and weight were obtained from a telephone survey (SOS) and from in-person interviews (RECORD). Both studies collected data on and geocoded home addresses and food shopping locations. Both studies calculated GIS (Geographic Information System) network distances between home and the supermarket that study respondents listed as their primary food source. Supermarkets were further stratified into three categories by price. Modified Poisson regression models were used to test the associations among food environment variables, SES and obesity. RESULTS: Physical distance to supermarkets was unrelated to obesity risk. By contrast, lower education and incomes, lower surrounding property values and shopping at lower-cost stores were consistently associated with higher obesity risk. CONCLUSION: Lower SES was linked to higher obesity risk in both Paris and Seattle, despite differences in urban form, the food environments and in the respective systems of health care. Cross-country comparisons can provide new insights into the social determinants of weight and health.
Keywords
Obesity; Health & Social Status; Social Status; Supermarkets; Grocery Shopping; Physiology; Body-mass Index; Dietary Energy Density; Atherosclerosis Risk; Weight Status; Us Adults; Associations; Health; French; Access; Socioeconomic Status (ses); Access To Supermarket; Food Environment; Food Shopping
Merlino, Kathryn Rogers. (2014). [Re]Evaluating Significance: The Environmental and Cultural Value in Older and Historic Buildings. Public Historian, 36(3), 70 – 85.
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Abstract
Traditionally the value of a building is measured through the historical, cultural, or architectural significance that has emerged from the established traditions of historic preservation policy in the United States. Although the designation of historic properties is a critical venue to save our most historically significant buildings, it does not account for those that fall outside of the established categories of significance. Accounting for the environmental value of buildings and understanding them as repositories of energy and materials repositions the way we value of the built environment for a more sustainable future.
Keywords
Adaptive Reuse; Historic Preservation; Sustainability; Cultural Preservation; Building Reuse
Chen, Peng. (2015). Built Environment Factors in Explaining the Automobile-Involved Bicycle Crash Frequencies: A Spatial Statistic Approach. Safety Science, 79, 336 – 343.
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Abstract
The objective of this study is to understand the relationship between built environment factors and bicycle crashes with motor vehicles involved in Seattle. The research method employed is a Poisson lognormal random effects model using hierarchal Bayesian estimation. The Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) is selected as the unit of analysis to quantify the built environment factors. The assembled dataset provides a rich source of variables, including road network, street elements, traffic controls, travel demand, land use, and socio-demographics. The research questions are twofold: how are the built environment factors associated with the bicycle crashes, and are the TAZ-based bicycle crashes spatially correlated? The findings of this study are: (1) safety improvements should focus on places with more mixed land use; (2) off-arterial bicycle routes are safer than on-arterial bicycle routes; (3) TAZ-based bicycle crashes are spatially correlated; (4) TAZs with more road signals and street parking signs are likely to have more bicycle crashes; and (5) TAZs with more automobile trips have more bicycle crashes. For policy implications, the results suggest that the local authorities should lower the driving speed limits, regulate cycling and driving behaviors in areas with mixed land use, and separate bike lanes from road traffic. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Injury Crashes; Risk Analysis; Models; Infrastructure; Dependence; Counts; Level; Bicycle Crash Frequency; Hierarchal Bayesian Estimation; Poisson Lognormal Random Effects Model; Built Environment; Traffic Analysis Zone
Vitro, Kristen A.; Whittington, Jan. (2015). The Cloud beneath the Clouds. Planning, 81(1), 35 – 35.
Abstract
The article discusses the proliferation of cloud computing data centers in Seattle, Washington. It also discusses the reasons behind the selection of the city by cloud computing data centers as site locations which include the availability of inexpensive but abundant sources of electricity, classification of dams as a critical infrastructure, and cooler climate. Another reason discussed is the planning and economic development practiced by municipalities to attract businesses in the area.
Keywords
Cloud Computing; Server Farms (computer Network Management); Industrial Location; Infrastructure (economics); Urban Planning; Economic Development; Seattle (wash.); Washington (state)
Dunn, Peter T.; Ahn, Alicia Y. E.; Bostrom, Ann; Vidale, John E. (2016). Perceptions of Earthquake Early Warnings on the US West Coast. International Journal Of Disaster Risk Reduction, 20, 112 – 122.
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Abstract
Earthquake early warning systems can provide seconds to minutes of lead time by alerting people that an earthquake has started and shaking is coming, enabling them to take protective action. To examine how earthquake early warnings might be received on the U.S. West coast, we conducted surveys of residents in the west coast states of Washington, Oregon and California (N=2595) through Google paywall intercept surveys administered in three rounds between September 2014 and September 2015. A majority of residents in all states (61% WA, 54% OR, 70% CA) have personally experienced an earthquake. Those who have experienced an earthquake perceive higher risk and greater potential for effectively reducing that risk with earthquake early warning. Although respondents feel that federal and local government should pay for earthquake early warning, almost two-thirds report being willing to pay something for an Earthquake Early Alert app on [their] smartphone or personal computer. Median willingness to pay per month is $1. Perceived risk, perceived effectiveness of earthquake early warning, and anticipated or experienced emotional responses to earthquakes influence judgments of and preferences for earthquake early warning, although personal experience of earthquakes conditions these influences. Further, highly visible mass media communications such as the New Yorker article The Really Big One and the movie San Andreas increase earthquake risk perceptions. Overall, interest in and support for earthquake early warning on the U.S. West Coast appears strong.
Keywords
Fear Appeals; Hazard; Model; Risk; Preparedness; Information; Adjustment; Context; Earthquake Early Warning; Risk Perception; Risk Communication; Hazard Preparation; Willingness To Pay
Lee, Wonil; Migliaccio, Giovanni Ciro. (2016). Physiological Cost Of Concrete Construction Activities. Construction Innovation, 16(3), 281 – 306.
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Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper was to investigate the physiological cost of concrete construction activities. Design/methodology/approach - Five concrete construction workers were recruited. The workers' three-week heart rate (HR) data were collected in summer and autumn. In this paper, several HR indexes were used to investigate the physiological cost of work in concrete construction trades, including average working HR, relative HR and ratio of working HR to resting HR. Findings - This paper measures how absolute and relative HRs vary throughout a workday and how working HR compares to resting HR for individual workers. Research limitations/implications - Field observations are usually extremely difficult as researchers need to overcome a number of barriers, including employers' resistance to perceived additional liabilities, employees' fear that their level of activity will be reported to managers and many other practical and technical difficulties. As these challenges increase exponentially with the number of employers, subjects and sites, this study was limited to a small number of subjects all working for the same employer on the same jobsite. Still, challenges are often unpredictable and lessons learned from this study are expected to guide both our and other researchers' continuation of this work. Originality/value - The time effect on the physiological cost of work has not been considered in previous studies. Thus, this study is noteworthy owing to the depth of the data collected rather than the breadth of the data.
Keywords
Concrete; Construction Industry; Costing; Human Resource Management; Occupational Health; Personnel; Physiology; Physiological Cost; Concrete Construction Activity; Construction Workers; Summer; Autumn; Construction Trade; Working Heart Rate; Relative Heart Rate; Resting Heart Rate; Employee Fear; Jobsite; Heart-rate Strain; Stress; Work; Risk; Management; Fusion; Model; Index; Biosensing And Environmental Sensing; Occupational Safety And Health; Threshold Limit Value; Work Physiology
Stewart, Orion T.; Carlos, Heather A.; Lee, Chanam; Berke, Ethan M.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Li, Li; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Doescher, Mark P. (2016). Secondary GIS Built Environment Data for Health Research: Guidance for Data Development. Journal Of Transport & Health, 3(4), 529 – 539.
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Abstract
Built environment (BE) data in geographic information system (GIS) format are increasingly available from public agencies and private providers. These data can provide objective, low-cost BE data over large regions and are often used in public health research and surveillance. Yet challenges exist in repurposing GIS data for health research. The GIS data do not always capture desired constructs; the data can be of varying quality and completeness; and the data definitions, structures, and spatial representations are often inconsistent across sources. Using the Small Town Walkability study as an illustration, we describe (a) the range of BE characteristics measurable in a GIS that may be associated with active living, (b) the availability of these data across nine U.S. small towns, (c) inconsistencies in the GIS BE data that were available, and (d) strategies for developing accurate, complete, and consistent GIS BE data appropriate for research. Based on a conceptual framework and existing literature, objectively measurable characteristics of the BE potentially related to active living were classified under nine domains: generalized land uses, morphology, density, destinations, transportation system, traffic conditions, neighborhood behavioral conditions, economic environment, and regional location. At least some secondary GIS data were available across all nine towns for seven of the 9 BE domains. Data representing high-resolution or behavioral aspects of the BE were often not available. Available GIS BE data - especially tax parcel data often contained varying attributes and levels of detail across sources. When GIS BE data were available from multiple sources, the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of the data could be reasonable ensured for use in research. But this required careful attention to the definition and spatial representation of the BE characteristic of interest. Manipulation of the secondary source data was often required, which was facilitated through protocols. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Geographic Information-systems; Physical-activity; Land-use; Walking; Neighborhood; Associations; Density; Design; Adults; Travel; Active Travel; Pedestrian; Urban Design; Community Health; Rural