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Research Product Types: Journal Article

peer-reviewed article in academic journal

Resilience and ‘Technicity’: Challenges and Opportunities for New Knowledge Practices in Disaster Planning

Jon, Ihnji. (2019). Resilience and ‘Technicity’: Challenges and Opportunities for New Knowledge Practices in Disaster Planning. Resilience-International Policies Practices and Discourses, 7(2), 107 – 125.

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Abstract

With increasing exposure to environmental catastrophes and natural hazards, the terminology of 'resilience' is becoming ubiquitous in the planning field. As a part of this continuing discussion, this paper examines how the concept of resilience has been used in disaster planning, especially with a focus on the creation and use of knowledge to 'build resilience' in response to potential future natural hazard events. In discussing the practice of creating and using knowledge in disaster planning, I draw insights from the interdisciplinary critical studies of science and technology literature, which has been developing rich discussions on the challenges we face in producing geographical knowledge. I demonstrate in this paper how resilience theory can be linked with the concept of 'technicity' used in the virtual geography literature, and how that association can have meaningful implications for the production and application of knowledge in disaster planning.

Keywords

Community Resilience; Adaptive Capacity; Vulnerability; Hazard; Risk; Sustainability; Participation; Geographies; Uncertainty; Complexity; Resilience; Technicity; Disaster Planning; Virtual Geography; Knowledge Practice

Environmental Benefits of Using Hybrid CLT Structure in Midrise Non-Residential Construction: An LCA Based Comparative Case Study in the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Pierobon, Francesca; Huang, Monica; Simonen, Kathrina; Ganguly, Indroneil. (2019). Environmental Benefits of Using Hybrid CLT Structure in Midrise Non-Residential Construction: An LCA Based Comparative Case Study in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Journal Of Building Engineering, 26.

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Abstract

In this study, the cradle-to-gate environmental impact of a hybrid, mid-rise, cross-laminated timber (CLT) commercial building is evaluated and compared to that of a reinforced concrete building with similar functional characteristics. This study evaluates the embodied emissions and energy associated with building materials, manufacturing, and construction. Two alternative designs are considered for fire protection in the hybrid CLT building: 1) a 'fireproofing design', where gypsum wallboard is applied to the structural wood; and 2) a 'charring design', where two extra layers of CLT are added to the panel. The life cycle environmental impacts are assessed using TRACI 2.1 and the total primary energy is evaluated using the Cumulative Energy Demand impact method. Results show that an average of 26.5% reduction in the global warming potential is achieved in the hybrid CLT building compared to the concrete building, excluding biogenic carbon emissions. Except ozone depletion, where the difference in impact between scenarios is < 1%, replacing fireproofing with charring is beneficial for all impact categories. The embodied energy assessment of the building types reveals that, on average, the total primary energy in the hybrid CLT buildings and concrete building are similar. However, the non-renewable energy (fossil-based) use in the hybrid CLT building is 8% lower compared to that of the concrete building. As compared to the concrete building, additional 1,556 tCO(2)(e) and 2,567 tCO(2e) are stored in the wood components of the building (long-term storage of biogenic carbon) in the scenario with fireproofing and with charring, respectively.

Keywords

Wood; Concrete; Energy; Buildings; Impacts; Cross-laminated Timber; U.s. Pacific Northwest; Life Cycle Assessment; Cumulative Energy Demand; Biogenic Carbon; Carbon Storage

Participatory Infrastructures: The Politics of Mobility Platforms

Dunn, Peter T. (2020). Participatory Infrastructures: The Politics of Mobility Platforms. Urban Planning, 5(4), 335 – 346.

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Abstract

Much of everyday life in cities is now mediated by digital platforms, a mode of organization in which control is both distributed widely among participants and sharply delimited by the platform's constraints. This article uses examples of smartphone-based platforms for urban mobility to argue that platforms create new political arrangements of the city, intermediating the social processes of management and movement that characterize urban life. Its empirical basis is a study of user interfaces, data specifications, and algorithms used in the operation and regulation of ride-hailing services and bike-share systems. I focus on three aspects of urban politics affected by platforms: its location, its participants, and the types of conflict it addresses. First, the programming forums in which decisions are encoded in and distributed through platforms' core digital architecture are new sites of policy deliberation outside the more familiar arenas of city politics. Second, travelers have new opportunities to use platforms for travel on their own terms, but this expanded participation is circumscribed by interfaces that presuppose individual, transactional engagement rather than a participation attentive to a broader social and environmental context. Finally, digital systems show themselves to be well suited to enforcing quantifiable distributional goals, but struggle to resolve the more nuanced relational matters that constitute the politics of everyday city life. These illustrations suggest that digital tools for managing transportation are not only political products, but also reset the stage on which urban encounters play out.

Keywords

Construction; Users; Digital Geographies; Infrastructure; Participation; Platform Urbanism; Shared-use Mobility

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.

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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

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Tenant Improvements over the Building Lifetime: Estimating Material Quantities and Embodied Carbon for Climate Change Mitigation

Rodriguez, Barbara X.; Huang, Monica; Lee, Hyun Woo; Simonen, Kathrina; Ditto, Jim. (2020). Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Tenant Improvements over the Building Lifetime: Estimating Material Quantities and Embodied Carbon for Climate Change Mitigation. Energy And Buildings, 226.

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Abstract

The building industry is expanding its ability to mitigate the environmental impacts of buildings through the application of life cycle assessment (LCA). Most building LCA studies focus on core and shell (C&S) and rarely assess mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) and tenant improvements (TI). However, C&S typologies in the commercial sector pose particular challenges to achieving net zero carbon due to the numerous renovations these building undergo through during their service life. MEP and TI are installed multiple times over the lifetime of commercial buildings leading to cumulative environmental impact caused by increasing material quantities and embodied carbon (EC). This study aimed to establish a preliminary range of material quantities and embodied carbon impacts for MEP and TI components, focusing on commercial office buildings in the Pacific Northwest. The first research stage involved quantifying material quantities while a second stage aimed to calculate Embodied Carbon Coefficients (ECC) and LCA impacts using different data sources. The embodied carbon estimates ranged from 40 to 75 kg CO(2)e/m(2) for MEP and 45-135 kg CO(2)e/m(2) for TI. However, with recurring instalments during a life span of 60 years the impacts become comparable to known impacts of core and shell systems. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Embodied Carbon; Life Cycle Assessment; Tenant Improvement; Mechanical; Electrical And Plumbing

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.

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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

Urban Landscape Heterogeneity Influences the Relationship Between Tree Canopy and Land Surface Temperature

Jung, Meen Chel; Dyson, Karen; Alberti, Marina. (2021). Urban Landscape Heterogeneity Influences the Relationship Between Tree Canopy and Land Surface Temperature. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 57.

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Abstract

Urban trees play a key role in alleviating elevated summertime land surface temperatures in cities. However, urban landscape influences the capacity of urban trees to mitigate higher temperatures. We propose that both developed land characteristics and tree cover should be considered to accurately estimate the mitigation effects of canopy cover. We subclassified original land cover based on the canopy cover ratio to capture the within-land cover heterogeneity. We selected two coastal cities with different summertime climatic conditions: Seattle, Washington, USA, and Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We used Landsat-based grid cells (30 m x 30 m) as our spatial analytical unit, with corresponding land surface temperature, canopy area, canopy compactness, population size, and National Land Cover Database (NLCD)-based land cover group. We first used grouped boxplots, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and post-hoc multiple comparison tests to detect the distribution of land surface temperatures by the land cover group. We then introduced statistical models to test the group effects on the relationship between land surface temperatures and canopy cover variables. We found: (1) land surface temperature increases with level of development, (2) land surface temperature decreases with canopy cover level, (3) the magnitude of the mitigation effects from canopy area differs based on development level and current canopy cover, (4) the differing efficacies of canopy area in decreasing land surface temperature follows a nonlinear threshold relationship, and (5) compactness of canopy cover was not significant in reducing the land surface temperature. These findings suggest the importance of considering heterogeneous canopy cover within developed land cover classes in urban heat island research. Tree planting strategies need to consider the nonlinear relationships between tree canopy cover and land surface temperature alongside environmental equity concerns.

Keywords

Extreme Heat Events; Climate-change; Cover Data; Island; Pattern; Cities; Vegetation; Mortality; Phoenix; Impact; Canopy Cover; Environmental Equity; Land Cover; Land Surface Temperature; Mitigation Effect; Area; Canopy; Cells; Climatic Factors; Databases; Heat Island; Landscapes; Multiple Comparison Test; Planting; Population Size; Research; Statistical Models; Summer; Surface Temperature; Testing; Trees; Urban Forestry; Maryland

Associations of Household Income with Health-Related Quality of Life Following a Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis Varies with Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status

Robinson, Jamaica R. M.; Phipps, Amanda, I; Barrington, Wendy E.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Sheppard, Lianne; Malen, Rachel C.; Newcomb, Polly A. (2021). Associations of Household Income with Health-Related Quality of Life Following a Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis Varies with Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 30(7), 1366 – 1374.

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Abstract

Background: Existing evidence indicates household income as a predictor of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following a colorectal cancer diagnosis. This association likely varies with neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), but evidence is limited. Methods: We included data from 1,355 colorectal cancer survivors participating in the population-based Puget Sound Colorectal Cancer Cohort (PSCCC). Survivors reported current annual household income; we measured HRQoL via the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Colorectal (FACT-C) tool. Using neighborhood data summarized within a 1-km radial buffer of Census block group centroids, we constructed a multidimensional nSES index measure. We employed survivors' geocoded residential addresses to append nSES score for Census block group of residence. With linear generalized estimating equations clustered on survivor location, we evaluated associations of household income with differences in FACT-C mean score, overall and stratified by nSES. We used separate models to explore relationships for wellbeing subscales. Results: We found lower household income to be associated with clinically meaningful differences in overall FACT-C scores [<$30K: -13.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): -16.8 to -10.4] and subscale wellbeing after a recent colorectal cancer diagnosis. Relationships were slightly greater in magnitude for survivors living in lower SES neighborhoods. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that recently diagnosed lower income colorectal cancer survivors are likely to report lower HRQoL, and modestly more so in lower SES neighborhoods. Impact: The findings from this work will aid future investigators' ability to further consider the contexts in which the income of survivors can be leveraged as a means of improving HRQoL

Keywords

Built Environment Factors; Functional Assessment; Fact-c; Population-density; Physical-activity; Survivors; Care; Disparities; Impact; Mortality

A Framework for Estimating Commute Accessibility and Adoption of Ridehailing Services Under Functional Improvements from Vehicle Automation

Zou, Tianqi; Aemmer, Zack; Mackenzie, Don; Laberteaux, Ken. (2022). A Framework for Estimating Commute Accessibility and Adoption of Ridehailing Services Under Functional Improvements from Vehicle Automation. Journal Of Transport Geography, 102.

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Abstract

This paper develops an analytical framework to estimate commute accessibility and adoption of various ridehailing service concepts across the US by synthesizing individual commute trips using national Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) data. Focusing on potential improvements in cost and time that could be enabled by vehicle automation, we use this modeling framework to simulate a lower-price autonomous service (e.g., 50% or 75% lower) with variable wait times and implementation levels (solo, pooled, and first/last mile transit connections services, alone or in combination) to determine how they might affect adoption rates. These results are compared across metrics of accessibility and trip density, as well as socioeconomic factors such as household income. We find - unsurprisingly - that major cities (e.g. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) support the highest adoption rates for ridehailing services. Decreases in price tend to increase market share and accessibility. The effect of a decrease in price is more drastic for lower income groups. The proposed method for synthesizing trips using the LODES contributes to current travel demand forecasting methods and the proposed analytic framework can be flexibly implemented with any other mode choice model, extended to non-commute trips, or applied to different levels of geographic aggregation.

Keywords

Choice Of Transportation; Demand Forecasting; Poor People; Adoption; Price Cutting; Metropolis; Employment Statistics; Los Angeles (calif.); New York (state); Chicago (ill.); Accessibility; Autonomous Vehicles; New Mobility Services; Ridehailing; Travel Demand; Preferences