Hwang, Liang-dar; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Duncan, Glen E. (2016). Cross Sectional Association between Spatially Measured Walking Bouts and Neighborhood Walkability. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 13(4).
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Abstract
Walking is the most popular choice of aerobic physical activity to improve health among U.S. adults. Physical characteristics of the home neighborhood can facilitate or hinder walking. The purpose of this study was to quantify neighborhood walking, using objective methods and to examine the association between counts of walking bouts in the home neighborhood and neighborhood walkability. This was a cross-sectional study of 106 adults who wore accelerometers and GPS devices for two weeks. Walking was quantified within 1, 2, and 3 km Euclidean (straight-line) and network buffers around the geocoded home location. Walkability was estimated using a commercially available index. Walking bout counts increased with buffer size and were associated with walkability, regardless of buffer type or size (p < 0.001). Quantification of walking bouts within (and outside) of pre-defined neighborhood buffers of different sizes and types allowed for the specification of walking locations to better describe and elucidate walking behaviors. These data support the concept that neighborhood characteristics can influence walking among adults.
Keywords
Physical-activity; Accelerometer Data; United-states; Urban Form; Land-use; Validation; Health; Transportation; Environments; Intensity; Geographic Information Systems; Residence Characteristics; Twins; Walking
Pan, Haixiao; Li, Jing; Chen, Peng. (2016). Study on the Ownership of Motorized and Non-Motorized Vehicles in Suburban Metro Station Areas: A Structural Equation Approach. Urban Rail Transit, 2(2), 47 – 58.
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Abstract
As Chinese megacities are experiencing a large-scale motorization and suburbanization, an ever greater number of households are relocated to suburban towns. The increasing average travel distance surely encourages car growth. China is now the world's largest car consumer, resulting in a series of unforeseen environmental and public health issues. On the other hand, scooters, electric bikes, and motorcycles become attractive options to substitute non-motorized bicycles. The ongoing demographic changes should also be taken in account. China has a rapidly aging population and a higher birth rate following reforms to the one-child policy allowing couples to have a second child. These changes will lead to a dramatic alteration of the household composition in the near future. Under above emerging contexts, this study aims to understand what implies the ownership of motorized and non-motorized vehicles in suburban metro station areas by means of a structural equation model. The data employed in this study are based on a household survey collected from three neighborhoods in Shanghai suburban metro station areas in 2010. The major findings include: (1) Income is a decisive element in car ownership. Specifically, high-income households have higher propensity to own a car, while middle and poor income families tend to own scooters, electric bikes, motorcycles, or bicycles. (2) Workplace built environment features or mode preferences are not essential to understanding vehicle ownership in Chinese context. (3) Stem families are more likely to own cars; the presence of a child or a senior family member increases the probability of owning a car by enlarging the household. (4) The results estimated for core family and DINK (couple with no child) family are highly consistent, and these families are less likely to own cars. Therefore, transport policies may focus more on households. Providing safe, pleasant, and efficient pedestrian and bicycle paths for children and seniors may decrease the attractiveness of owning cars.
Keywords
Suburban Metro Station Areas; Ownership Of Motorized And Non-motorized Vehicles; Built Environment; Mode Preferences; Family Composition; Structural Equation Model
Anderson, Anne; Dossick, Carrie Sturts; Iorio, Josh; Taylor, John E. (2017). The Impact of Avatars, Social Norms and Copresence on the Collaboration Effectiveness of AEC Virtual Teams. Journal Of Information Technology In Construction, 22, 287 – 304.
Abstract
A growing number of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms are outsourcing complex design and construction work to international vendors. Due to the significant geographic distances that can separate project team members in global design networks, much of this work is executed in virtual teams, defined as teams composed of geographically separated members who collaborate to accomplish organizational tasks mediated by technology. The challenges of working in geographically distributed networks have prompted the development of alternative, virtual workspaces. Questions remain on how these virtual workspaces support or hinder collaborative work. People are social beings that rely on body language and other non-verbal cues to communicate. What happens to team formation and collaborative effectiveness when non-verbal cues are mediated through avatar actions? In this paper, qualitative ethnographic data collected over four years from studies conducted in a 3D virtual world are used to examine collaboration effectiveness of global virtual engineering project teams. We found that avatar movement and position was effective at communicating nonverbal information, even when done so unintentionally. Avatar actions that map to established social norms in the physical world results in more efficient communication. Collaboration was also enhanced when gesture bubbles were used for backchannel communication and when text chat was used to avoid interrupting voice communication. We found collaboration was hindered when the learning curve was too steep for participants to adapt to tool use or avatar actions in the environment. These findings have important implications for the future of collaboration in virtual environments, particularly in the AEC industry where 3D models can be imported into the virtual environment and explored synchronously by a project team.
Keywords
Architectural Design; Human Resource Management; International Trade; Bim Coordination; Collaboration Technology; Distributed Teams; Social Norm; Virtual Worlds; Communication; Design; Technology; Dimensions; Teamwork; Behavior; Collaboration Technologies; Social Norms
James, Peter; Hart, Jaime E.; Hipp, J. Aaron; Mitchell, Jonathan A.; Kerr, Jacqueline; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Glanz, Karen; Laden, Francine. (2017). GPS-Based Exposure to Greenness and Walkability and Accelerometry-Based Physical Activity. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 26(4), 525 – 532.
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Abstract
Background: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for cancer that may be influenced by environmental factors. Indeed, dense and well-connected built environments and environments with natural vegetation may create opportunities for higher routine physical activity. However, studies have focused primarily on residential environments to define exposure and self-reported methods to estimate physical activity. This study explores the momentary association between minute-level global positioning systems (GPS)-based greenness exposure and time-matched objectively measured physical activity. Methods: Adult women were recruited from sites across the United States. Participants wore a GPS device and accelerometer on the hip for 7 days to assess location and physical activity at minutelevel epochs. GPS records were linked to 250mresolution satellitebased vegetation data and Census Block Group-level U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Smart Location Database walkability data. Minute-level generalized additive mixed models were conducted to test for associations between GPS measures and accelerometer count data, accounting for repeated measures within participant and allowing for deviations fromlinearity using splines. Results: Among 360 adult women (mean age of 55.3 +/- 10.2 years), we observed positive nonlinear relationships between physical activity and both greenness and walkability. In exploratory analyses, the relationships between environmental factors and physical activity were strongest among those who were white, had higher incomes, and who were middle-aged. Conclusions: Our results indicate that higher levels of physical activity occurred in areas with higher greenness and higher walkability. Impact: Findings suggest that planning and design policies should focus on these environments to optimize opportunities for physical activity. (C) 2017 AACR.
Keywords
Built Environments; Health Research; Breast-cancer; Obesity; Neighborhood; Validation; Validity; Walking; Risk; Energetics
Zhang, Su; Bogus, Susan M.; Lippitt, Christopher D.; Migliaccio, Giovanni C. (2017). Estimating Location-Adjustment Factors for Conceptual Cost Estimating Based on Nighttime Light Satellite Imagery. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 143(1).
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Abstract
A fundamental process in construction cost estimation is the appropriate adjustment of costs to reflect project location. Unfortunately, location adjustment factors are not available for all locations. To overcome this lack of data, cost estimators in the United States often use adjustment factors from adjacent locations, referred to as the nearest neighbor (NN) method. However, these adjacent locations may not have similar economic conditions, which limit the accuracy of the NN method. This research proposes a new method of using nighttime light satellite imagery (NLSI) to estimate location adjustment factors where they do not exist. The NLSI method for estimating location adjustment factors was evaluated against an established cost index database, and results show that NLSI can be used to effectively estimate location adjustment factors. When compared with NN and other alternative proximity-based location adjustment methods, the proposed NLSI method leads to a 25-40% reduction of the median absolute error. This work contributes to the body of knowledge by introducing a more accurate method for estimating location adjustment factors which can improve cost estimates for construction projects where location adjustment factors do not currently exist. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Construction Industry; Costing; Industrial Economics; Project Management; Remote Sensing; Location-adjustment Factors; Nighttime Light Satellite Imagery; Construction Cost Estimation; Project Location; United States; Economic Conditions; Nlsi Method; Cost Index Database; Median Absolute Error Reduction; Construction Projects; Nearest Neighbor Method; Urbanization Dynamics; Proxy; Construction Costs; Estimation; Construction Management; Pricing; Cost And Schedule
Lacoe, Johanna; Bostic, Raphael W.; Acolin, Arthur. (2018). Crime and Private Investment in Urban Neighborhoods. Journal Of Urban Economics, 108, 154 – 169.
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Abstract
The question of how best to improve neighborhoods that lag behind has drawn considerable attention from policy-makers, practitioners, and academics, yet there remains a vigorous debate regarding the best approaches to accomplish community development. This paper investigates the role crime policy plays in shaping the trajectory of neighborhoods. Much of the existing research on neighborhood crime was conducted in rising-crime environments, and the evidence was clear: high levels of crime have adverse effects on neighborhoods and resident quality of life, This study examines how private investment in neighborhoods in two cities Chicago and Los Angeles changed as the incidence of neighborhood crime changed during the 2000s, a period when crime was declining city-wide in both places. Using detailed blockface-level data on the location of crime and private investments between 2006 and 2011, the analysis answers the question: Do changes in crime affect private development decisions? The results show that private investment, as represented by building permits, decreases on blocks where crime increases in the past year. We also find that the relationship between crime and private investment is not symmetric private investment appears to only be sensitive to crime in rising crime contexts. The result is present in both cities, and robust to multiple definitions of crime and the elimination of outliers and the main commercial district. These results suggest that crime-reduction policies can be an effective economic development tool, but only in certain neighborhoods facing specific circumstances.
Keywords
Enterprise Zones; Crime; Investment; Neighborhoods
Wentz, Elizabeth A.; York, Abigail M.; Alberti, Marina; Conrow, Lindsey; Fischer, Heather; Inostroza, Luis; Jantz, Claire; Pickett, Steward T. A.; Seto, Karen C.; Taubenboeck, Hannes. (2018). Six Fundamental Aspects for Conceptualizing Multidimensional Urban Form: A Spatial Mapping Perspective. Landscape And Urban Planning, 179, 55 – 62.
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Abstract
Urbanization is currently one of the most profound transformations taking place across the globe influencing the flows of people, energy, and matter. The urban form influences and is influenced by these flows and is therefore critical in understanding and how urban areas affect and are affected by form. Nevertheless, there is a lack of uniformity in how urban form is analyzed. Urban form analyzed from a continuum of a simple urban versus non-urban classification to highly detailed representations of land use and land cover. Either end of the representation spectrum limits the ability to analyze within-urban dynamics, to make cross-city comparisons, and to produce generalizable results. In the framework of remote sensing and geospatial analysis, we identify and define six fundamental aspects of urban form, which are organized within three overarching components. Materials, or the physical elements of the urban landscape, consists of three aspects (1) human constructed elements, (2) the soil-plant continuum, and (3) water elements. The second component is configuration, which includes the (4) two- and three-dimensional space and (5) spatial pattern of urban areas. Lastly, because of the dynamics of human activities and biophysical processes, an important final component is the change of urban form over (6) time. We discuss how a this urban form framework integrates into a broader discussion of urbanization.
Keywords
Ecosystem Services; Land-use; Reconceptualizing Land; Cellular-automata; Heterogeneity; Framework; Model; Emissions; Dynamics; Cities; Gis; Remote Sensing; Land Use; Land Cover; Urban Form; Urban Materials; Energy; Humans; Land Use And Land Cover Maps; Landscapes; Urban Areas; Urbanization
Habibnezhad, M.; Puckett, J.; Fardhosseini, M.S.; Jebelli, H.; Stentz, T.; Pratama, L.A.. (2019). Experiencing Extreme Height for the First Time: The Influence of Height, Self-Judgment of Fear and a Moving Structural Beam on the Heart Rate and Postural Sway During the Quiet Stance. Arxiv, 9 pp.
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Abstract
Falling from elevated surfaces is the main cause of death and injury at construction sites. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports, an average of nearly three workers per day suffer fatal injuries from falling. Studies show that postural instability is the foremost cause of this disproportional falling rate. To study what affects the postural stability of construction workers, we conducted a series of experiments in the virtual reality (VR). Twelve healthy adults, all students at the University of Nebraska were recruited for this study. During each trial, participants heart rates and postural sways were measured as the dependent factors. The independent factors included a moving structural beam (MB) coming directly at the participants, the presence of VR, height, the participants self-judgment of fear, and their level of acrophobia. The former was designed in an attempt to simulate some part of the steel erection procedure, which is one of the key tasks of ironworkers. The results of this study indicate that height increase the postural sway. Self-judged fear significantly was found to decrease postural sway, more specifically the normalized total excursion of the center of pressure (TE), both in the presence and absence of height. Also, participants heart rates significantly increase once they are confronted by a moving beam in the virtual environment (VE), even though they are informed that the beam will not hit them. The findings of this study can be useful for training novice ironworkers that will be subjected to height and steel erection for the first time.
Keywords
Biocontrol; Biomechanics; Construction Industry; Ergonomics; Injuries; Mechanoception; Medical Computing; Occupational Safety; Personnel; Statistical Analysis; Virtual Reality; Extreme Height; Moving Structural Beam; Heart Rate; Postural Sway; Injury; Construction Sites; Labor Statistics Reports; Fatal Injuries; Postural Instability; Foremost Cause; Disproportional Falling Rate; Postural Stability; Construction Workers; Participants Heart Rates; Height Increase; Moving Beam
Moudon, Anne Vernez; Huang, Ruizhu; Stewart, Orion T.; Cohen-Cline, Hannah; Noonan, Carolyn; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Duncan, Glen E. (2019). Probabilistic Walking Models Using Built Environment and Sociodemographic Predictors. Population Health Metrics, 17(1).
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Abstract
BackgroundIndividual sociodemographic and home neighborhood built environment (BE) factors influence the probability of engaging in health-enhancing levels of walking or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods are needed to parsimoniously model the associations.MethodsParticipants included 2392 adults drawn from a community-based twin registry living in the Seattle region. Objective BE measures from four domains (regional context, neighborhood composition, destinations, transportation) were taken for neighborhood sizes of 833 and 1666 road network meters from home. Hosmer and Lemeshow's methods served to fit logistic regression models of walking and MVPA outcomes using sociodemographic and BE predictors. Backward elimination identified variables included in final models, and comparison of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves determined model fit improvements.ResultsBuilt environment variables associated with physical activity were reduced from 86 to 5 or fewer. Sociodemographic and BE variables from all four BE domains were associated with activity outcomes but differed by activity type and neighborhood size. For the study population, ROC comparisons indicated that adding BE variables to a base model of sociodemographic factors did not improve the ability to predict walking or MVPA.ConclusionsUsing sociodemographic and built environment factors, the proposed approach can guide the estimation of activity prediction models for different activity types, neighborhood sizes, and discrete BE characteristics. Variables associated with walking and MVPA are population and neighborhood BE-specific.
Keywords
Walking; Confidence Intervals; Research Funding; Transportation; Logistic Regression Analysis; Built Environment; Socioeconomic Factors; Predictive Validity; Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves; Data Analysis Software; Descriptive Statistics; Psychology; Washington (state); Active Travel; Home Neighborhood Domains; Physical Activity; Physical-activity; United-states; Life Stage; Adults; Attributes; Health; Associations; Destination; Pitfalls
Way, Thaisa. (2019). What is the Urban Landscape and What Role in Urban History? Journal Of Urban History, 45(3), 595 – 600.
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Keywords
Urban; Landscapes; Modernism; Preservation; Architecture; Cities