Fatima, S., Hsiu Lee, C., & Dannenberg, A. L. (2024). Equity issues associated with the widespread implementation of autonomous vehicles. Oxford Open Infrastructure and Health, 2. https://doi.org/10.1093/ooih/ouae002.
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Abstract
Autonomous vehicles (AVs), either shared or privately owned, are predicted to become a common transport mode used by the general population in coming decades. Policies governing the use of AVs may increase or decrease social inequities. This review synthesizes existing literature and provides policy recommendations to enhance equity as the use of AVs becomes more widespread. We identified nine areas in which AVs could impact equity: (i) assessment of community mobility needs and priorities, (ii) education and outreach, (iii) disparities in infrastructure quality, (iv) equitable distribution of customer services, (v) access to AVs by persons with low incomes, (vi) shared infrastructure services, (vii) barriers to shared AV use, (viii) access to AVs by persons with disabilities and (ix) disruption of existing transportation jobs. Recommendations for promoting equitable use of AVs include (i) policies governing how jurisdictions oversee AV implementation and (ii) policies addressing how jurisdictions issue permits to AV service providers. Oversight policies include ensuring input from disadvantaged communities, providing subsidies for low-income users, establishing ride-sharing rules to protect vulnerable populations, reviewing the equity implications of proposed AV infrastructure improvements, providing retraining opportunities for those who may lose jobs due to AV implementation and monitoring the impact of AV policies implemented. Permitting processes include ensuring equitable access to AVs for low-income, minority, and older users and persons with disabilities, ensuring equitable distribution of AV service areas and verifying that data from all communities are incorporated into the artificial intelligence algorithms used to guide AVs.
Cahen, A., Dannenberg, A. L., & Kraft, M. K. (2024). Municipal Sidewalk Inventories: A Tool to Support Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Transportation Research Record. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241281738.
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Abstract
Sidewalks are a critical but underresourced part of our transportation system. Despite their importance in promoting equity, health, and safety, sidewalk networks are often underfunded and municipalities may have little information about their condition. We conducted a document review, informant interviews, and a descriptive study of 21 selected U.S. cities to compare practices for conducting sidewalk inventories and their use for improving municipal sidewalk networks. Although diverse in geography, population size, density, and median household income, the selected cities represent a sample of convenience and not a random sample of U.S. cities. The results suggested that compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act is a primary motivator for conducting sidewalk inventories and the cost of conducting an inventory is not prohibitive. Inventory methods included walking each sidewalk segment using handheld devices, LIDAR mounted on wheeled vehicles, and aerial photography, with data uploaded to geographic information system databases. Sidewalk inventories can be used to promote equity by increasing the percentage of city streets that have sidewalks. Areas for future study include developing better cost estimates for each type of sidewalk inventory method, examining the legal implications of sidewalk inventories, and estimating the incremental health benefits obtained for each additional investment in sidewalk construction and repair.
Rebecca’s long-term design and research interests involve exploring a gap between built environment design fields and public health research. She believes that an essential component of design activism must be research that can inform equitable policy. Rebecca holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and Graduate Certificate of Global Health from the University of Washington, and is a current NIH Fogarty Scholar. She has spent recent years working with the design-action-research firm Traction on design and research projects that examine built environments as social determinants of human and ecological health in marginalized urban communities in Peru. In addition to English, Rebecca speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and has a blended background in international relations, journalism, and horticulture—all of which is integral to her current interdisciplinary work.
EarthLab announced their Innovation Grants for 2024-25 for projects focused on Climate and Social Justice. The awardees were announced in March 2024, and 2 of the 5 selected projects include CBE researchers. Project Title: Catalyzing Just Circular Communities: A Feasibility Study of a Large-Scale Anaerobic Biodigester to Generate Hyper-local, Community-Owned Clean Energy Infrastructure in Seattle’s South Park CBE Team Members: Catherine De Almeida, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture; Gundula Proksch, Associate Professor, Architecture. Project Title: Healing Amazonian Soils with Science and…
Beck, H., Berney, R., Kirk, B., & Yocom, K. P. (2024). Building equity into public park and recreation service investment: A review of public agency approaches. Landscape and Urban Planning. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105069
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Abstract
In recent decades, academic and professional research has increased understanding of the importance of city and landscape planners engaging with social and environmental justice issues, including contemporary inequities inherent in the planning, distribution, use, and access of public green and open spaces. However, there is a gap between this research centering equity and the planning, development, and implementation rate demonstrated by public agencies. In this article, we examine examples of emerging practice in the public park and recreation sector to understand the strategies and approaches public agencies are taking to provide equitable park and recreation systems. Our research identifies and analyzes 17 examples of North American public park and open space management agencies using equity-based planning frameworks to prioritize park investment and resource distribution. Equity-focused resource analysis is distinct because while it assesses budget and project-based funding distributions, it further incorporates assessments of historical allocations to understand better areas of under-investment and the evolving needs of different communities. As economic inequities become more pronounced, local governments, and other public institutions providing services to populations, are important in helping communities navigate changes. Our findings support the ongoing advancement of equity-driven planning and implementation for public park and recreation agencies by providing practical information on existing approaches to redress the impact of unfair patterns of under-investment.
Wang, Z., Ito, K., & Biljecki, F. (2024). Assessing the equity and evolution of urban visual perceptual quality with time series street view imagery. Cities, 145, 104704-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104704
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Abstract
The well-being of residents is considerably influenced by the quality of their environment. However, due to the lack of large-scale quantitative and longitudinal evaluation methods, it has been challenging to assess residents' satisfaction and achieve social inclusion goals in neighborhoods. We develop a novel cost-effective method that utilizes time series street view imagery for evaluating and monitoring visual environmental quality in neighborhoods. Unlike most research that relies on site visits or surveys, this study trains a deep learning model with a large-scale dataset to analyze six perception indicators' scores in neighborhoods in different geographies and does so longitudinally thanks to imagery taken over a period of a decade, a novelty in the body of knowledge. Implementing the approach, we examine public housing neighborhoods in Singapore and New York City as case studies. The results demonstrated that temporal imagery can effectively assess spatial equity and monitor the visual environmental qualities of neighborhoods over time, providing a new, comprehensive, and scalable workflow. It can help governments improve policies and make informed decisions on enhancing the design and living standards of urban residential areas, including public housing communities, which may be affected by social stigmatization, and monitor the effectiveness of their policies and actions.
Keywords
Residential quality; Public housing; Environmental quality; Spatial equity; Street view imagery; Visual environment
Pineo, H., Clifford, B., Eyre, M., & Aldridge, R. W. (2024). Health and wellbeing impacts of housing converted from non-residential buildings: A mixed-methods exploratory study in London, UK. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 6, 100192-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2024.100192
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Abstract
Housing quality is a determinant of health, wellbeing and inequities. Since 2013, changes to Permitted Development Rights (PDR) allow conversions of non-residential buildings into housing without planning permission in England. We explored the potential health and wellbeing impacts of such ‘PDR housing’ through an online survey and semi-structured interviews in four London boroughs. We found an association between low wellbeing and lack of residential space and accommodation cooling options, fewer local amenities and lower perceived safety. Participants highlighted problems with windows and outdoor space. Poor quality PDR conversions may pose health and wellbeing risks that could be avoided through regulation and enforcement.
Keywords
Housing; Wellbeing; Health; Non-residential conversions; England; Socio-ecological; Adaptive reuse; Urban planning
The CBE Inspire Fund Awardees for the 2024 cycle have been selected! Their project names and team members are outlined below. Title: Mycelium Grow Lab for Student-led Research Team: Gundula Proksch (Associate Professor, Architecture), Tyler Sprague (Associate Professor, Architecture) Title: Exhibition of the works of OUR: Office of (Un)certainty Research Team: Vikram Prakash (Professor, Architecture) Title: Emergence, Resilience, and Future(s) of Urban Informality in Seattle Team: Julie Johnson (Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture), Manish Chalana (Associate Professor, Urban Design and Planning)…
The Change Stories project is an research project with collaboration from academics and their community-based partners in Belfast (Queen’s University), Northern Ireland, Belo Horizonte (Federal University of Minas Gerais Brazil and Observatory for Urban Health), Brazil, and Bogotá (Universidad de los Andes), Colombia. Additional collaborators include USA and Internationally-based advisory group members, who work within their communities. The project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The 3 case study cities in the Change Stories project are Belfast, Northern…
Magdalena Haakenstad, Postdoctoral Scholar in Urban Planning for Health in the University of Washington Department of Urban Design and Planning in Seattle, Washington, USA. She is a cultural anthropologist interested in environmental health, means and strategies of political negotiation, visual communication in public space, and decolonizing methodologies. As a part of her research, she had an opportunity to work with historically marginalized communities in Mexico, the US and Slovakia on public art projects, storytelling, photo essays, and filmmaking to help amplify their voices. She holds a PhD in General Anthropology from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.