Skip to content
News

Department: College of Built Environments

Diverse Approaches to the Preservation of Built Vernacular Heritage: Case Study of Post-Disaster Reconstruction of the Xijie Historic District in Dujiangyan City, China

Kou, Huaiyun; Chalana, Manish; Zhou, Jian. (2020). Diverse Approaches to the Preservation of Built Vernacular Heritage: Case Study of Post-Disaster Reconstruction of the Xijie Historic District in Dujiangyan City, China. Journal Of Architectural Conservation, 26(1), 71 – 86.

View Publication

Abstract

Preservation of the built vernacular heritage contributes to maintaining a 'sense of place' and cultural diversity; yet, it is often ignored in preservation practices that favour high styled architectures and monumental sites. In China, although the understanding of the value of vernacular expression has shown some progress, technical and methodological efforts are still necessary to address the diversity and complexity of vernacular heritage. In this paper, the Xijie Historic District in Dujiangyan City in China provides an example for the preservation of the built vernacular heritage in the context of neighbourhood revitalization during a post-earthquake reconstruction project. Five types of intervention are examined in this paper, including the repair and restoration of the monuments, restoration of historic buildings, rehabilitation of traditional houses, contextual design of new buildings, and demolition to provide public space and facilities. In particular, the measures implemented to meet the residents' needs while maintaining the diversity of the built vernacular heritage are inspected. This study concludes with three recommendations: the classification of vernacular environments and employment of diverse measures to each type; the adaptation of the vernacular environment to meet residents' expectations and aspirations; and recognition of the development and reasonable control of the changes.

Keywords

Historic Districts; Preservation Of Historic Buildings; Cultural Pluralism; Preservation Of Cultural Property; Preservation Of Monuments; Preservation Of Architecture; Housing Rehabilitation; Wenchuan Earthquake, China, 2008; China; Built Vernacular Heritage; Community; Diversity; Historic District; Historic Preservation

Small Increments in Diet Cost Can Improve Compliance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Rose, Chelsea M.; Gupta, Shilpi; Buszkiewicz, James; Ko, Linda K.; Mou, Jin; Cook, Andrea; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Aggarwal, Anju; Drewnowski, Adam. (2020). Small Increments in Diet Cost Can Improve Compliance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Social Science & Medicine, 266.

View Publication

Abstract

Adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) may involve higher diet costs. This study assessed the relation between two measures of food spending and diet quality among adult participants (N = 768) in the Seattle Obesity Study (SOS III). All participants completed socio-demographic and food expenditure surveys and the Fred Hutch food frequency questionnaire. Dietary intakes were joined with local supermarket prices to estimate individual-level diet costs. Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) scores measured compliance with DGA. Multiple linear regressions using Generalized Estimating Equations with robust standard errors showed that lower food spending was associated with younger age, Hispanic ethnicity, and lower socioeconomic status. Even though higher HEI-2015 scores were associated with higher diet costs per 2000 kcal, much individual variability was observed. A positive curvilinear relationship was observed in adjusted models. At lower cost diets, a $100/ month increase in cost (from $150 to $250) was associated with a 20.6% increase in HEI-2015. For higher levels of diet cost (from $350 to $450) there were diminishing returns (2.8% increase in HEI2015). These findings indicate that increases in food spending at the lower end of the range have the most potential to improve diet quality.

Keywords

Healthy Eating Index; Income Inequality; Quality; Obesity; Adults; Expenditure; Disparities; Strategy; Outcomes; Scores; Food Expenditures; Diet Costs; Food Shopping; Diet Quality; Hei-2015; Ses

Does the Built Environment Have Independent Obesogenic Power? Urban Form and Trajectories of Weight Gain

Buszkiewicz, James H.; Bobb, Jennifer F.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Arterburn, David; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Cook, Andrea; Mooney, Stephen J.; Cruz, Maricela; Gupta, Shilpi; Lozano, Paula; Rosenberg, Dori E.; Theis, Mary Kay; Anau, Jane; Drewnowski, Adam. (2021). Does the Built Environment Have Independent Obesogenic Power? Urban Form and Trajectories of Weight Gain. International Journal Of Obesity, 45(9), 1914 – 1924.

View Publication

Abstract

Objective To determine whether selected features of the built environment can predict weight gain in a large longitudinal cohort of adults. Methods Weight trajectories over a 5-year period were obtained from electronic health records for 115,260 insured patients aged 18-64 years in the Kaiser Permanente Washington health care system. Home addresses were geocoded using ArcGIS. Built environment variables were population, residential unit, and road intersection densities captured using Euclidean-based SmartMaps at 800-m buffers. Counts of area supermarkets and fast food restaurants were obtained using network-based SmartMaps at 1600, and 5000-m buffers. Property values were a measure of socioeconomic status. Linear mixed effects models tested whether built environment variables at baseline were associated with long-term weight gain, adjusting for sex, age, race/ethnicity, Medicaid insurance, body weight, and residential property values. Results Built environment variables at baseline were associated with differences in baseline obesity prevalence and body mass index but had limited impact on weight trajectories. Mean weight gain for the full cohort was 0.06 kg at 1 year (95% CI: 0.03, 0.10); 0.64 kg at 3 years (95% CI: 0.59, 0.68), and 0.95 kg at 5 years (95% CI: 0.90, 1.00). In adjusted regression models, the top tertile of density metrics and frequency counts were associated with lower weight gain at 5-years follow-up compared to the bottom tertiles, though the mean differences in weight change for each follow-up year (1, 3, and 5) did not exceed 0.5 kg. Conclusions Built environment variables that were associated with higher obesity prevalence at baseline had limited independent obesogenic power with respect to weight gain over time. Residential unit density had the strongest negative association with weight gain. Future work on the influence of built environment variables on health should also examine social context, including residential segregation and residential mobility.

Keywords

Body-mass Index; Physical-activity; Food Environment; Structural Racism; Obesity; Neighborhoods; Associations; Health; Walkability; Exposure; Environment Models; Minority & Ethnic Groups; Urban Environments; Regression Analysis; Regression Models; Residential Density; Body Mass Index; Property Values; Body Weight Gain; Government Programs; Body Weight; Electronic Medical Records; Electronic Health Records; Fast Food; Buffers; Real Estate; Body Mass; Body Size; Socioeconomics; Health Care

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System

Kerfeld, Cheryl I.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Bjornson, Kristie F. (2021). Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 33(2), 92 – 99.

View Publication

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the usefulness of combining accelerometry, global positioning systems, and geographic information systems, to describe the time spent in different locations and physical activity (PA) duration/count levels by location for 4 children with cerebral palsy (CP) who use assistive devices (AD). Methods: A descriptive multiple-case study. Results: Combining the 3 instruments was useful in describing and differentiating duration by location, and amount and location of PA across differing functional levels and AD. For example, the child classified with a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level II exhibited large amounts of PA in community settings. In contrast, the child classified with a GMFCS level V had small amounts of PA and spent most measured time at home. Conclusions: Combined accelerometry, global positioning system, and geographic information system have potential to capture time spent and amount/intensity of PA relative to locations within daily environments for children with CP who use AD.

Keywords

Cerebral-palsy; Objective Measures; Fitness; Youth; Disabilities; Adolescents; Exercise; Adults; Accelerometer; Cerebral Palsy; Environment; Global Positioning System; Mobility Assistive Devices; Physical Activity

What County-level Factors Influence Covid-19 Incidence in the United States? Findings from the First Wave of the Pandemic

Wang, Lan; Zhang, Surong; Yang, Zilin; Zhao, Ziyu; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Feng, Huasen; Liang, Junhao; Sun, Wenyao; Cao, Buyang. (2021). What County-level Factors Influence Covid-19 Incidence in the United States? Findings from the First Wave of the Pandemic. Cities, 118.

View Publication

Abstract

Effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic via appropriate management of the built environment is an urgent issue. This study develops a research framework to explore the relationship between COVID-19 incidence and influential factors related to protection of vulnerable populations, intervention in transmission pathways, and provision of healthcare resources. Relevant data for regression analysis and structural equation modeling is collected during the first wave of the pandemic in the United States, from counties with over 100 confirmed cases. In addition to confirming certain factors found in the existing literature, we uncover six new factors significantly associated with COVID-19 incidence. Furthermore, incidence during the lockdown is found to significantly affect incidence after the reopening, highlighting that timely quarantining and treating of patients is essential to avoid the snowballing transmission over time. These findings suggest ways to mitigate the negative effects of subsequent waves of the pandemic, such as special attention of infection prevention in neighborhoods with unsanitary and overcrowded housing, minimization of social activities organized by neighborhood associations, and contactless home delivery service of healthy food. Also worth noting is the need to provide support to people less capable of complying with the stay-at-home order because of their occupations or socio-economic disadvantage.

Keywords

Pandemics; Covid-19; Covid-19 Pandemic; Infection Prevention; Stay-at-home Orders; Structural Equation Modeling; United States; Communicable Disease Prevention; Influential Factors; Lockdown; Structural Equation Modeling (sem); Prevalence; Disease; Healthy Food; Social Activities; Counties; Neighborhoods; Housing; Built Environment; Prevention; Minimization; Socioeconomic Factors; Intervention; Health Care; Vulnerability; Occupations; Coronaviruses; Food Service; Disease Transmission; United States--us

How Do Single-Family Homeowners Value Residential and Commercial Density? It Depends

Acolin, Arthur; Colburn, Gregg; Walter, Rebecca J. (2022). How Do Single-Family Homeowners Value Residential and Commercial Density? It Depends. Land Use Policy, 113.

View Publication

Abstract

This paper develops estimates of the relationship between local density and single-family home values using 2017 transactions for five U.S. metropolitan regions: Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Seattle. Proposals to build new commercial and residential development projects that would increase local density commonly face opposition from local homeowners. Academic literature links the response from homeowners to concerns that higher density is associated with lower property values but there is limited empirical evidence establishing this relationship at the local level. We find a positive and significant relationship between density and house value in the core area of the five metropolitan regions we analyze. Within 7.5 miles of the center of these metropolitan regions, a 10% increase in surrounding built area density is associated with a 1.1–1.9% increase in house prices per square foot. For outlying areas, the estimates are smaller and even negative in several cases. We instrument density based on topographic and soil characteristics and find similar results. These findings point to the need for a more nuanced discussion of the relationship between local density and housing values.

Keywords

Population Density; Soil Density; Single Family Housing; Home Ownership; Housing Development; Housing Discrimination; Home Prices; Los Angeles (calif.); Density; Single-family House Value; Urban Form; Residential Development; Real Estate; Property Values; Residential Density; Development Programs; Housing; Estimates; Metropolitan Areas; Development Projects; Empirical Analysis; Families & Family Life; Soil Characteristics

Slumdogs vs. Millionaires: Balancing Urban Informality and Global Modernity in Mumbai, India

Chalana, Manish. (2010). Slumdogs vs. Millionaires: Balancing Urban Informality and Global Modernity in Mumbai, India. Journal Of Architectural Education, 63(2), 25 – 37.

View Publication

Abstract

Mumbai and other Indian cities are rapidly transforming to address the needs of global commerce and the expanding middle class. Mumbai's vernacular environments, home to most working-class residents, are consequently being redeveloped using supermodern global aesthetics. The urbanism emerging from the current wave of modernism is an unprecedented radical departure from existing patterns of place. Proponents claim the new developments serve low-income residents' interests, when actually they ignore fundamental socio-cultural and economic realities. This paper considers two case studies, Dharavi and Girangaon, highlighting a subset of Mumbai's vernacular environments to argue for their significance and to explore alternative redevelopment approaches.

Places for the Gods: Urban Planning as Orthopraxy and Heteropraxy in China

Abramson, Daniel Benjamin. (2011). Places for the Gods: Urban Planning as Orthopraxy and Heteropraxy in China. Environment & Planning D: Society & Space, 29(1), 67 – 88.

View Publication

Abstract

Among the many revivals of older urban practices in China since the death of Mao and the Reforms of Deng Xiaoping is the resurgence of unofficial folk-religious space. As a national phenomenon, it is an uneven process, but where it has become prevalent, it presents challenges both to official standard urban-planning practice, as well as to the public presentation of planning practice. This paper describes how nonstandard practices can emerge in the current context of rapid urbanization, which itself is a force for standardized urban spatial practices in terms of Chinese domestic cultural and political institutions as well as global capital flows. Both local and translocal actors, navigating among various conflicting standards of practice and discourse, can find room to resist hegemony, maintain identity, and innovate. The political and bureaucratic ritualization of planning practice, however, conceals this fact.

Keywords

Urban Planning -- Social Aspects; Urban Policy; Urbanization; Hegemony; Cultural Policy; Social Conditions In China; Social Aspects; China; Late Imperial China; Standardization; Property; Shanghai; Culture; Space; State

How to Identify Food Deserts: Measuring Physical and Economic Access to Supermarkets in King County, Washington

Jiao, Junfeng; Moudon, Anne V.; Ulmer, Jared; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Drewnowski, Adam. (2012). How to Identify Food Deserts: Measuring Physical and Economic Access to Supermarkets in King County, Washington. American Journal Of Public Health, 102(10), E32 – E39.

View Publication

Abstract

Objectives. We explored new ways to identify food deserts. Methods. We estimated physical and economic access to supermarkets for 5 low-income groups in Seattle-King County, Washington. We used geographic information system data to measure physical access: service areas around each supermarket were delineated by ability to walk, bicycle, ride transit, or drive within 10 minutes. We assessed economic access by stratifying supermarkets into low, medium, and high cost. Combining income and access criteria generated multiple ways to estimate food deserts. Results. The 5 low-income group definitions yielded total vulnerable populations ranging from 4% to 33% of the county's population. Almost all of the vulnerable populations lived within a 10-minute drive or bus ride of a low-or medium-cost supermarket. Yet at most 34% of the vulnerable populations could walk to any supermarket, and as few as 3% could walk to a low-cost supermarket. Conclusions. The criteria used to define low-income status and access to supermarkets greatly affect estimates of populations living in food deserts. Measures of access to food must include travel duration and mode and supermarket food costs.

Keywords

Neighborhood Characteristics; Store Availability; Accessibility; Consumption; Disparities; Environment; Location; Fruit; Pay

Data Fusion of Real-Time Location Sensing and Physiological Status Monitoring for Ergonomics Analysis of Construction Workers

Cheng, Tao; Migliaccio, Giovanni C.; Teizer, Jochen; Gatti, Umberto C. (2013). Data Fusion of Real-Time Location Sensing and Physiological Status Monitoring for Ergonomics Analysis of Construction Workers. Journal Of Computing In Civil Engineering, 27(3), 320 – 335.

View Publication

Abstract

Previous research and applications in construction resource optimization have focused on tracking the location of material and equipment. There is a lack of studies on remote monitoring for improving safety and health of the construction workforce. This paper presents a new approach for monitoring ergonomically safe and unsafe behavior of construction workers. The study relies on a methodology that utilizes fusion of data from continuous remote monitoring of construction workers' location and physiological status. To monitor construction workers activities, the authors deployed nonintrusive real-time worker location sensing (RTLS) and physiological status monitoring (PSM) technology. This paper presents the background and need for a data fusion approach, the framework, the test bed environment, and results to some case studies that were used to automatically identify unhealthy work behavior. Results of this study suggest a new approach for automating remote monitoring of construction workers safety performance by fusing data on their location and physical strain. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000222. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Keywords

Civil Engineering Computing; Construction Industry; Ergonomics; Occupational Health; Occupational Safety; Personnel; Sensor Fusion; Psm Technology; Rtls Technology; Construction Workforce Health; Construction Workforce Safety; Equipment Location; Material Location; Construction Resource Optimization; Construction Worker; Ergonomics Analysis; Physiological Status Monitoring; Realtime Location Sensing; Data Fusion; Exposure; Tracking; Demands; Sensors; System; Construction Worker Behavior; Remote Location Sensing; Work Sampling; Workforce Safety And Health