Jung, Meen Chel; Kang, Mingyu; Kim, Sunghwan. (2022). Does Polycentric Development Produce Less Transportation Carbon Emissions? Evidence from Urban Form Identified by Night-Time Lights Across US Metropolitan Areas. Urban Climate, 44.
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Abstract
Identifying the comprehensive metropolitan urban form is important to propose effective policies to mitigate transportation carbon emissions. A publicly accessible night-time light dataset was used to identify urban centers and develop two polycentric indices to compute the composition and configuration of urban form, respectively. We used the most populous 103 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), with their corresponding transportation carbon emissions, polycentric indices, population sizes, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and road network densities. We first explored the typology of urban form and classified MSAs into six types based on two polycentric indices. We then introduced correlation analysis and statistical models to test the relationships between polycentric urban form and transportation carbon emissions. We found: (1) more urban centers lead to more emissions (compositional dimension), (2) more spatially distributed urban centers result in less emissions (configurational dimension), and (3) population and GDP per capita are positively related to carbon emissions. These findings suggest the importance of measuring two polycentric dimensions separately but using them together. Urban planners should consider mixed strategies that combine the traditional intra-center-based smart growth principles and the metropolitan-level inter-centers spatial plan to effectively counteract climate change.
Keywords
Polycentric Urban Form; Urban Centers; Carbon Emissions; Night-time Lights; Smart Growth; Climate Change; Co2 Emissions; Spatial Structure; Satellite Imagery; Cities; Patterns; Trends; Growth; Determinants; China
Shach-Pinsly, Dalit. (2010). Visual Openness and Visual Exposure Analysis Models Used as Evaluation Tools During the Urban Design Development Process. Journal Of Urbanism, 3(2), 161 – 184.
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Abstract
This paper reports on the preliminary development of visibility analysis models used as evaluation tools during the urban design development process. This paper proposes a measurable morphological approach that can contribute to the planning and design process as a control and evaluation model. The models are applied to an urban case study that is based on the garden city theory. The complex being evaluated is the Bat-Galim neighborhood, located on the northern shore of Haifa, Israel that was constructed in the middle of the last century. The goal is to try to overcome the problematic results and to suggest other spatial morphological configurations that support better results. Doing so improves the quality of the environment with respect to visual permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Journal of Urbanism is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Keywords
Urban Planning; Urbanization; Urban Growth; Garden Cities; Haifa (israel); Israel; Comparative Evaluation; Sustainable Urban Environment; Visual Analysis; Visual Exposure; Visual Openness
Drewnowski, Adam; Aggarwal, Anju; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Monsivais, Pablo; Moudon, Anne V. (2012). Obesity and Supermarket Access: Proximity or Price? American Journal Of Public Health, 102(8), e74 – e80.
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Abstract
Objectives. We examined whether physical proximity to supermarkets or supermarket price was more strongly associated with obesity risk. Methods. The Seattle Obesity Study (SOS) collected and geocoded data on home addresses and food shopping destinations for a representative sample of adult residents of King County, Washington. Supermarkets were stratified into 3 price levels based on average cost of the market basket. Sociodemographic and health data were obtained from a telephone survey. Modified Poisson regression was used to test the associations between obesity and supermarket variables. Results. Only 1 in 7 respondents reported shopping at the nearest supermarket. The risk of obesity was not associated with street network distances between home and the nearest supermarket or the supermarket that SOS participants reported as their primary food source. The type of supermarket, by price, was found to be inversely and significantly associated with obesity rates, even after adjusting for individual-level sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, and proximity measures (adjusted relative risk = 0.34; 95% confidence interval = 0.19, 0.63) Conclusions. Improving physical access to supermarkets may be one strategy to deal with the obesity epidemic; improving economic access to healthy foods is another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Keywords
Natural Foods; Obesity Risk Factors; Surveys; Cluster Analysis (statistics); Confidence Intervals; Correlation (statistics); Food Service; Geographic Information Systems; Poisson Distribution; Population Geography; Research Funding; User Charges; Residential Patterns; Socioeconomic Factors; Relative Medical Risk; Statistical Models; Descriptive Statistics; Economics; Washington (state)
Whittington, Jan. (2012). When to Partner for Public Infrastructure? Journal Of The American Planning Association, 78(3), 269 – 285.
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Abstract
Problem, research strategy, and findings: Public agencies traditionally request bids and award contracts to private firms after infrastructure designs are complete (bid-build). They also increasingly partner with private firms, often by folding capital improvements into a contract to design and build (design-build). The latter involves much more than the mere transfer of design work to the private sector, such as time to completion; the merits or problems of design-build strategies can, thus, be difficult to isolate. This article presents a method for doing so. Together with the development of a theory of contracting, the comparative analysis of two very similar highway overpass projects, one design-build and the other bid-build, demonstrates how so-called transaction cost economics can clarify the details of partnership cost-effectiveness. Takeaway for practice: Transaction cost analysis disaggregates and evaluates the costs of completed projects, accounting for factors typically external to economic analysis. My approach reveals tradeoffs between variables of interest to planners, such as the pace of delivery, public participation, environmental compliance, and the transfer of risk of cost overrun to the private sector.
Keywords
Design & Build Contracts; Bridges; Infrastructure (economics); Transaction Costs; Construction Contracts; Public-private Sector Cooperation; Transportation Planning; Design-build; Evaluation; Infrastructure; Public–private Partnership; Transaction Cost; Vertical Integration; Contracting Process; Privatization; Firm; Services; Reverse; Lie; Public-private Partnership
Migliaccio, Giovanni C.; Guindani, Michele; D’Incognito, Maria; Zhang, Linlin. (2013). Empirical Assessment of Spatial Prediction Methods for Location Cost-Adjustment Factors. Journal Of Construction Engineering & Management, 139(7), 858 – 869.
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Abstract
In the feasibility stage of a project, location cost-adjustment factors (LCAFs) are commonly used to perform quick order-of-magnitude estimates. Nowadays, numerous LCAF data sets are available in North America, but they do not include all locations. Hence, LCAFs for unsampled locations need to be inferred through spatial interpolation or prediction methods. Using a commonly used set of LCAFs, this paper aims to test the accuracy of various spatial prediction methods and spatial interpolation methods in estimating LCAF values for unsampled locations. Between the two regression-based prediction models selected for the study, geographically weighted regression analysis (GWR) resulted the most appropriate way to model the city cost index as a function of multiple covariates. As a direct consequence of its spatial nonstationarity, the influence of each single covariate differed from state to state. In addition, this paper includes a first attempt to determine if the observed variability in cost index values could be at least partially explained by independent socioeconomic variables. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Construction Industry; Interpolation; Regression Analysis; Socio-economic Effects; Spatial Prediction Methods; Location Cost-adjustment Factors; Empirical Assessment; Lcaf; Order-of-magnitude Estimates; North America; Unsampled Locations; Spatial Interpolation Methods; Geographically Weighted Regression Analysis; Gwr; Independent Socioeconomic Variables; Inflation; Indexes; Estimation; Geostatistics; Construction Costs; Planning; Budgeting
Drewnowski, Adam; Aggarwal, Anju; Rehm, Colin D.; Cohen-Cline, Hannah; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Moudon, Anne V. (2014). Environments Perceived as Obesogenic Have Lower Residential Property Values. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine, 47(3), 260 – 274.
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Abstract
Background: Studies have tried to link obesity rates and physical activity with multiple aspects of the built environment. Purpose: To determine the relation between residential property values and multiple perceived (self-reported) measures of the obesogenic environment. Methods: The Seattle Obesity Study (SOS) used a telephone survey of a representative, geographically distributed sample Of 2,001 King County adults, collected in 2008-2009 and analyzed in 2012-2013. Home addresses were geocoded. Residential property values at the tax parcel level were obtained from the King County tax assessor. Mean residential property values within a 10-minute walk (833-m buffer) were calculated for each respondent. Data on multiple perceived measures of the obesogenic environment were collected by self-report. Correlations and multi-variable linear regression analyses, stratified by residential density, were used to examine the associations among perceived environmental measures, property values, and BMI. Results: Perceived measures of the environment such as crime, heavy traffic, and proximity to bars, liquor stores, and fast food were all associated with lower property values. By contrast, living in neighborhoods that were perceived as safe, quiet, clean, and attractive was associated with higher property values. Higher property values were associated, in turn, with lower BMIs among women. The observed associations between perceived environment measures and BMI were largely attenuated after accounting for residential property values. Conclusions: Environments perceived as obesogenic are associated with lower property values. Studies in additional locations need to explore to what extent other perceived environment measures can be reflected in residential property values. (C) 2014 American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Keywords
Body-mass Index; Physical-activity; Objective Measures; Childhood Obesity; Food Stores; Neighborhood Disorder; Atherosclerosis Risk; Collective Efficacy; Racial Composition; Built Environment
Migliaccio, G. C.; Bogus, Susan M.; Cordova-Alvidrez, A. A. (2014). Techniques for Continuous Improvement of Quality of Data Collection in Systems of Capital Infrastructure Management. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 140(4).
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Abstract
oLa infraestructura del transporte es una de las mas grandes inversiones que realizan los gobiernos. Las agencias gubernamentales de transporte administran este capital y utilizan la informacion de las condiciones de este para decidir la programacion y tipo de mantenimiento y recursos a ejercer. Para recolectar la informacion pertinente, las agencias emplean evaluadores adiestrados para evaluar la infraestructura, ya sea en sitio o analizando fotografias y/o videos. Las evaluaciones visuales son empleadas para inspeccionar las condiciones de la infraestructura, incluyendo el desgaste de la superficie de los caminos y carreteras. Este articulo describe un Data Quality Assessment & Improvement Framework (DQAIF) (Sistema de Evaluacion y Mejora de la Calidad de la Informacion) para medir y controlar los datos de los evaluadores del deterioro de carreteras, al controlar el criterio de estos. El DQAIF es en un proceso ciclico de Mejora Continua de Calidad compuesto por: a)la evaluacion del nivel de acuerdo entre evaluadores -por medio del analisis estadistico (inter-rater agreement analysis), b)la evaluacion de la consistencia a traves del tiempo -mediante analisis de regresion lineal, y c)la implementacion de practicas gerenciales para mejorar los resultados mostrados en las evaluaciones anteriores. Se llevo a cabo un estudio de caso para validar el sistema propuesto. Los resultados mostraron que el DQAIF es efectivo para identificar y resolver problemas de la calidad de los datos obtenidos en las inspecciones de infraestructura. Con este sistema se garantiza la reduccion del riesgo de la subjetividad y asi aplicar acciones de mantenimiento mas oportunas. El DQAIF puede ser empleado en un programa de gerencia de infraestructura o en cualquier programa de ingenieria en donde la informacion esta sujeta al juicio o criterio personal de los individuos que realizan la evaluacion. Este proceso puede ser adaptado, incluso, para evaluar el desempeno de sistemas automatizados de evaluacion de pavimentos.
Keywords
Manual Pavement Distress; Quality Control; Pavement Management; Inspection; Quantitative Analysis; Data Collection; Assets; Reliability; Construction Materials And Methods
D’Incognito, Maria; Costantino, Nicola; Migliaccio, Giovanni C. (2015). Actors and Barriers to the Adoption of LCC And LCA Techniques in the Built Environment. Built Environment Project And Asset Management, 5(2), 202 – 216.
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Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the existing barriers to the slow adoption of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) in construction, and the main responsible actors. Design/methodology/approach - The research design is based on a two-phase approach. First, the existing literature was studied through a multiple-step content analysis (CA) approach, which combined unsupervised concept mapping with computer aided CA. Using a relational CA approach, statistical-based analysis tools were initially used to identify the relationships between actors and barriers. Later, a Delphi study was administered to a panel of experts, to triangulate, validate, and refine the initial results. Findings - The study revealed that organizational culture is the most relevant barrier, and that clients and professionals are the actors that predominantly influence the adoption of LCC and LCA in projects. Technical and financial barriers, such as the lack and quality of input data and the high costs of implementation are also deemed relevant. Research limitations/implications - The CA was performed by a single rater on a sample that included 50 papers in English language. Future research may focus on enlarging the sample, extending it to other languages, and linking the source (or the expert) to their professional context to evaluate geographical differences in barriers. Originality/value - The adopted approach gives new insights on the relationships behind the rejection of LCA and LCC suggesting that solutions at the organizational level may be more effective than technical ones.
Keywords
Construction; Innovation; Content Analysis; Sustainability; Organizational Culture; Lca; Lcc; Life Cycle Management; Innovations; Life Cycle Costs; Experts; Software; Corporate Culture; Concept Mapping; Urban Environments; Computer Aided Mapping; Life Cycles; Life Cycle Engineering; Decision Making; Organizational Aspects; Supply Chains; Research Design; Professionals; Construction Industry; Construction Costs; Life Cycle Analysis; Urban Areas; English Language; Barriers; Regulation Of Financial Institutions; Life Cycle Assessment
Wier, Megan L.; Schwartz, Michael; Dannenberg, Andrew L. (2015). Health Impact Assessment: Considering Health in Transportation Decision Making in the United States. TR News (0738-6826), 299, 11 – 16.
Abstract
The article talks about Health Impact Assessment (HIA) when it comes to transportation decision making in the U.S. and discusses the Collaboration between public health professionals and transportation in order to execute HIA.
Keywords
Health Impact Assessment; Public Health -- United States
El-Anwar, Omar; Ye, Jin; Orabi, Wallied. (2016). Efficient Optimization of Post-Disaster Reconstruction of Transportation Networks. Journal Of Computing In Civil Engineering, 30(3).
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Abstract
Catastrophes, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis often cause large-scale damage to transportation systems. In the aftermath of these disasters, there is a present challenge to quickly analyze various reconstruction plans and assess their impacts on restoring transportation services. This paper presents a new methodology for optimizing post-disaster reconstruction plans for transportation networks with superior computational efficiency employing mixed-integer linear programming (MILP). The model is capable of optimizing transportation recovery projects prioritization and contractors assignment in order to simultaneously: (1)accelerate networks recovery; and (2)minimize public expenditures. The full methodology is presented in two companion publications, where the focus of this paper is to propose new methods for (1)decomposing traffic analysis; (2)assessing the traffic and cost performance of reconstruction plans; (3)reducing the massive solution search space; and (4)phasing the use of mixed-integer linear programming to optimize the problem. An illustrative example is presented throughout the paper to demonstrate the implementation phases. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Cost Reduction; Disasters; Emergency Management; Integer Programming; Linear Programming; Project Management; Public Finance; Search Problems; Town And Country Planning; Transportation; Solution Search Space Reduction; Cost Performance Assessment; Traffic Performance Assessment; Traffic Analysis; Public Expenditure Minimization; Network Recovery Acceleration; Contractor Assignment; Transportation Recovery Project Prioritization; Milp; Mixed-integer Linear Programming; Post-disaster Reconstruction Plan Optimization; Transportation Service Restoration; Reconstruction Plans; Transportation System Large-scale Damage; Tsunami; Earthquake; Hurricane; Catastrophe; Transportation Network; Post-disaster Reconstruction Optimization; Optimizing Resource Utilization; Natural Disasters; Housing Projects; Construction; Performance; Robustness; Recovery; Plans; Transportation Network Reconstruction; Post-disaster Recovery; Multi-objective Optimization; Computational Cost; Contractors Assignment; Search Space