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Research Product Types: Journal Article

peer-reviewed article in academic journal

Neighborhood greenspace and neighborhood income associated with white matter grade worsening: Cardiovascular Health Study

Besser, L. M., Lovasi, G. S., Zambrano, J. J., Camacho, S., Dhanekula, D., Michael, Y. L., Garg, P., Hirsch, J. A., Siscovick, D., Hurvitz, P. M., Biggs, M. L., Galvin, J. E., Bartz, T. M., & Longstreth, W. T. (2023). Neighborhood greenspace and neighborhood income associated with white matter grade worsening: Cardiovascular Health Study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia : Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, 15(4), e12484–e12484. https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12484

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION
We examined whether a combined measure of neighborhood greenspace and neighborhood median income was associated with white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and ventricle size changes.

METHODS
The sample included 1260 cognitively normal ≥ 65‐year‐olds with two magnetic resonance images (MRI; ≈ 5 years apart). WMH and ventricular size were graded from 0 (least) to 9 (most) abnormal (worsening = increase of ≥1 grade from initial to follow‐up MRI scans). The four‐category neighborhood greenspace–income measure was based on median neighborhood greenspace and income values at initial MRI. Multivariable logistic regression tested associations between neighborhood greenspace–income and MRI measures (worsening vs. not).

RESULTS
White matter grade worsening was more likely for those in lower greenspace–lower income neighborhoods than higher greenspace–higher income neighborhoods (odds ratio = 1.73; 95% confidence interval = 1.19–2.51).

DISCUSSION
The combination of lower neighborhood income and lower greenspace may be a risk factor for worsening white matter grade on MRI. However, findings need to be replicated in more diverse cohorts.

HIGHLIGHTS
Population‐based cohort of older adults (≥ 65 years) with greenspace and MRI data
Combined measure of neighborhood greenspace and neighborhood income at initial MRI
MRI outcomes included white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and ventricular size
Longitudinal change in MRI outcomes measured approximately 5 years apart
Worsening WMH over time more likely for lower greenspace‐lower income neighborhoods

Keywords

built environment; green space; magnetic resonance imaging; neighborhood; socioeconomic status

Decoding the dynamics of BIM use practice in construction projects

Hu, Y., & Dossick, C. S. (2023). Decoding the dynamics of BIM use practice in construction projects. Construction Management and Economics, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2277925

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Abstract

Over the past two decades, thought leaders positioned Building Information Modeling (BIM) as a driver to change the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. However, instances of unexpected BIM use have surfaced, with projects often shifting from BIM to hybrid or even solely 2D practices midway. What technology use conditions cause these practice-based rejections of BIM use and how these happen have not been fully explored and make BIM cannot fully play its role in a project. To fill this gap, we use structuration theory as a theoretical lens to analyze the interactions between BIM and project teams and explore how three technology use conditions, (interpretive, technological, and institutional), impact the interactions, which finally shape technology use practices. Specifically, a case study method has been selected. The research team attended a project for two years, collected meeting observations, and conducted surveys and interviews to track the emergent and situated BIM use practice in an integrated project setting with technology use conditions that changed over the course of the project. We analyzed how the three technology use conditions impacted the interactions between BIM and project teams in different ways and how these impacted change in different project phases. We conclude that the sustained use of BIM requires the alignment of project organizations with BIM features and alignment with both top-down and bottom-up investment in practice change, which includes motivation for senior management investment in a sustained project team, in individual capability training, and in early planning.

Keywords

Building information modeling; structuration theory; technology-in-practice; practice lens

Developing a multi-criteria prioritization tool to catalyze TOD on publicly owned land areas

Cai, M., Acolin, A., Moudon, A. V., & Shen, Q. (2023). Developing a multi-criteria prioritization tool to catalyze TOD on publicly owned land areas. Cities, 143, 104606-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104606

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Abstract

Public agencies can take a leading role in catalyzing TOD by making land available to developers (selling or leasing land, potentially below market prices). In particular, park-and-ride areas that are publicly owned can be leveraged to support TOD uses, such as affordable housing, office space, small businesses, and mixed-use buildings given their convenient access to transit systems and often large land areas. However, few previous studies have discussed the use of publicly owned park-and-rides, which are an important component of publicly owned land, as a catalyst for TOD. To fill the gap in the literature and effectively support TOD planning, this research developed a multi-criteria prioritization tool to identify the most promising locations for TOD and tested it at three park-and-ride sites owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation. The tool was developed through the Delphi process, which is an effective and inexpensive approach to evaluate relevant indicators by synthesizing the opinions of experts from various backgrounds. Five categories with a total of 14 TOD indicators, including transit supportive land-use zoning, job accessibility, land price, land-use mix, and household income, were selected as measures of TOD suitability. The importance of these indicators varied with three different TOD scenarios: (1) emphasis on affordable housing, (2) emphasis on market-rate housing, and (3) emphasis on mixed-use development. Using the calculated suitability scores, this tool can prioritize potential TOD sites for further review.

Keywords

TOD; Delphi method; Multi-criteria planning tool; Multi-sources geospatial data; Publicly owned land

Cities of the Anthropocene: urban sustainability in an eco-evolutionary perspective

Alberti, Marina. (2023). Cities of the Anthropocene: urban sustainability in an eco-evolutionary perspective. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 379:20220264. 20220264.

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Abstract

Cities across the globe are driving systemic change in social and ecological systems by accelerating the rates of interactions and intensifying the links between human activities and Earth's ecosystems, thereby expanding the scale and influence of human activities on fundamental processes that sustain life. Increasing evidence shows that cities not only alter biodiversity, they change the genetic makeup of many populations, including animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms. Urban-driven rapid evolution in species traits might have significant effects on socially relevant ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, pollination, water and air purification and food production. Despite increasing evidence that cities are causing rapid evolutionary change, current urban sustainability strategies often overlook these dynamics. The dominant perspectives that guide these strategies are essentially static, focusing on preserving biodiversity in its present state or restoring it to pre-urban conditions. This paper provides a systemic overview of the socio-eco-evolutionary transition associated with global urbanization. Using examples of observed changes in species traits that play a significant role in maintaining ecosystem function and resilience, I propose that these evolutionary changes significantly impact urban sustainability. Incorporating an eco-evolutionary perspective into urban sustainability science and planning is crucial for effectively reimagining the cities of the Anthropocene.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis’.

The Articulation and Current Practices of Liquidated Damages in Standard Specifications for Highways

Abdel Aziz, A. M., & Muiruri, K. (2023). The Articulation and Current Practices of Liquidated Damages in Standard Specifications for Highways. Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1061/JLADAH.LADR-959

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Abstract

Delayed delivery of highway infrastructure could financially hurt businesses that rely on such facilities, disrupt the public commute, and increase road user costs. For these reasons, state highway agencies (SHAs) tend to use and enforce liquidated damages (LDs) for the contractor’s failure to meet the completion times. While SHAs may have similar experiences on how their standard specifications (SSs) are structured and written, there are differences among the states on how the LDs are articulated. Further, with their requirements, SHAs need to maintain that their LDs regulations follow and account for the Code of Federal Regulations, for example, CFR.635.127. Additionally, contractors may legally challenge the LDs enforceability as unreasonable, excessive, penalty statements, or concurrently caused. This work aims to critically examine and thoroughly analyze how LDs were articulated in the SSs. For that, the LDs sections, definitions, and contract times of the standard specifications of all departments of transportation in the United States were collected, thoroughly reviewed, compared, and analyzed. With commonalities and differences among the SSs, themes of LDs current practice were identified under LDs characterization, application periods, reference times, and implementation forms. A detailed account of the particulars of each theme and practice is discussed and explained. The work provides insights for SHAs to evaluate their current LDs practice to other states’ practices to improve how LDs provisions are articulated.

A Critical Investigation of Common Lighting Design Metrics for Predicting Human Visual Comfort in Offices with Daylight

Van Den Wymelenberg, K., & Inanici, M. (2014). A Critical Investigation of Common Lighting Design Metrics for Predicting Human Visual Comfort in Offices with Daylight. Leukos, 10(3), 145–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502724.2014.881720

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Abstract

Existing visual comfort metrics are reviewed and critiqued based upon their ability to explain the variability in human subjective responses in a daylit private office laboratory environment. Participants (n = 48) evaluated visual comfort and preference factors, totaling 1488 discreet appraisals, and luminance-based metrics were captured with high dynamic range images and illuminance-based metrics were recorded. Vertical illuminance outperformed all commonly referenced visual comfort metrics including horizontal illuminance, IES luminance ratios, daylight glare probability (DGP), and daylight glare index (DGI). The bounded borderline between comfort and discomfort is introduced, and preliminary visual comfort design criteria are proposed for several existing metrics. Fundamental limitations of glare indices are documented, and the implications of inconsistent application of luminance ratio calculation methods are quantified. Future research is detailed.

Keywords

daylight glare; daylight metrics; luminance ratio; vertical illuminance; visual comfort

Non-ionizing radiation modeling to predict ambient irradiance in work areas at an indoor cannabis farm

Chmielinski, M., Yost, M. G., Cohen, M., Inanici, M., & Simpson, C. D. (2023). Non-ionizing radiation modeling to predict ambient irradiance in work areas at an indoor cannabis farm. Annals of Work Exposures and Health. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxad048

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Abstract

Agricultural workers frequently experience potentially hazardous exposure to non-ionizing radiation from both solar and artificial sources, and measurement of this exposure can be expensive and impractical for large populations. This project develops and evaluates a vegetative radiative transfer model (VRTM) to predict irradiance in a grow room of an indoor cannabis farm. The model uses morphological characteristics of the crop, manufacturer provided lamp emissions data, and dimensional measurements of the grow room and cannabis hedgerows to predict irradiance. A linear regression comparing model predictions with the measurements taken by a visible light spectroradiometer had slopes within 23% of unity and R2 values above 0.88 for visible (400–700 nm), blue (400–500 nm), green (500–600 nm), and red (600–700 nm) wavelength bands. The excellent agreement between the model and the measured irradiance in the cannabis farm grow room supports the potential of using VRTMs to predict irradiance and worker exposure in agricultural settings. Because there is no mechanistic difference between visible and other non-ionizing wavelengths of radiation in regards to mechanisms of radiative transfer, the model developed herein for visible wavelengths of radiation should be generalizable to other radiation bands including infrared and ultraviolet radiation.

Keywords

horticulture; indoor; Marijuana; non-ionizing radiation; radiative transfer; UV

Window View Quality: Why It Matters and What We Should Do

Ko, W. H., Schiavon, S., Altomonte, S., Andersen, M., Batool, A., Browning, W., Burrell, G., Chamilothori, K., Chan, Y.-C., Chinazzo, G., Christoffersen, J., Clanton, N., Connock, C., Dogan, T., Faircloth, B., Fernandes, L., Heschong, L., Houser, K. W., Inanici, M., … Kent, M. (2022). Window View Quality: Why It Matters and What We Should Do. Leukos, 18(3), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502724.2022.2055428

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Understanding the role of individual- and community-based resources in disaster preparedness

Nguyễn, L. T., Bostrom, A., Abramson, D. B., & Moy, P. (2023). Understanding the role of individual- and community-based resources in disaster preparedness. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 96, 103882–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103882

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Abstract

Standard emergency management practice in the U.S measures disaster preparedness as an individual household attribute based on amounts of stocked supplies, hazard mitigation actions, and emergency planning. Such measures generally fail to consider how norms of trust, fairness, and reciprocity, as well as networks of social relationships—that is, social capital—can facilitate coordination and enable sharing and communal action in the face of disaster. Our study assesses how shared resources, social capital, and day-to-day resources (specifically, food and water) could influence earthquake disaster preparedness across different communities. Using Seattle as the site of investigation, the study involved a split-ballot experiment embedded in a mail survey of a random sample of households. These households were stratified by zip codes selected for their contrasting demographics (N = 1340). Half of the households in each zip code answered conventional individualistic measures of disaster preparedness, while the other half answered questions regarding resources they, their family, friends, and neighbors might share. In racial-majority-dominated zip codes, reported preparedness was higher when people were asked to consider shared resources. Disaster preparedness also appeared to be underestimated with the traditional measure. Households with greater bridging social capital (connections with individuals who differ in their social identity but who may share some similar interests) and longer neighborhood tenure also reported higher preparedness. Our findings suggest disaster preparedness efforts should focus on supplementing individual preparedness with daily resources, social capital, and collective shareable community assets—a focus that we call “mainstreaming.”

Keywords

Disaster preparedness; Social capital; Asset-based; Readiness; Resilience; Earthquakes