Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tanja Bruechert, Paula Quentin, Gabriele Bolte
Summary: The built environment has a significant impact on promoting active mobility among older adults. Street connectivity, proximity and number of destinations are the most important attributes influencing cycling and e-biking for transport. Age, sex, and mobility impairments can moderate the association between the perception of the built environment and active mobility.
Article
Urban Studies
Anna C. Hurlimann, Georgia Warren-Myers, Josh Nielsen, Sareh Moosavi, Judy Bush, Alan March
Summary: This paper develops a process map to describe the key processes involved in producing the built environment and the coordination between key sectors. The motivation behind this map is to facilitate research and identify opportunities for coordinated action to address challenges such as climate change and sustainable development.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xueying Wu, Yi Lu, Jingjing Wang, Bin Jiang
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated the relationship between built environment characteristics and the spatial distribution of protests in Hong Kong from June 2019 to January 2020. The study revealed that areas with higher building density, government and commerce point-of-interest (POI) density, metro accessibility, park density, and street greenery experienced more protesting activities. Furthermore, illegal and violent protests were more likely to occur in regions with more government and commercial buildings, high metro accessibility, and a high level of street greenery.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Chelsea D. Christie, Christine M. Friedenreich, Jennifer E. Vena, Liam Turley, Gavin R. McCormack
Summary: Although there is contradictory evidence, this cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis suggests that socioeconomic status may modify the associations between the neighborhood built environment and physical activity, particularly for adults with lower status. However, the overall associations between built characteristics and walking were small and statistically non-significant.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Cassandra Collyer, Megan F. Bell, Hayley E. Christian
Summary: Emerging evidence suggests that the built environment has an influence on early child development, with variations depending on the socioeconomic status (SES) of neighborhoods. This study aimed to identify the built environment features associated with variations in early child development and how these associations differ between high and low SES neighborhoods. The findings suggest that the impact of built environment features on child development may vary depending on the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Arlind Dervishaj, Kjartan Gudmundsson
Summary: This paper reviews digital tools for supporting the Circular Economy (CE) in the built environment and provides suggestions. The study identifies limitations in the functionalities of current tools, including a lack of representative data for LCA and underdeveloped circularity indicators. Further development is needed in terms of interoperability aspects, integration of more sources of data for LCA and circularity, and possibilities for a comprehensive evaluation of design choices.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Geography
Jieun Lee, Igor Vojnovic, Sue C. Grady
Summary: This research examines the impact of urban form on pedestrian activity in neighborhoods experiencing rapid decline in US Midwest cities, such as those in Detroit. The study confirms that compact urban form promotes non-automobile travel and emphasizes the importance of a balanced land use mix in encouraging pedestrian activity. It also explores travel inequities and abandonment in neighborhoods with severe disinvestment and extreme income divergence, providing a deeper understanding of travel behaviors among lower-income, racial minorities in highly segregated urban neighborhoods.
Article
Environmental Studies
Gesche M. Huebner, Tadj Oreszczyn, Kenan Direk, Ian Hamilton
Summary: This paper examines how subjective wellbeing is influenced by housing and neighborhood characteristics, considering personal variables as well. The study shows that personal variables have the strongest relationship with wellbeing, but housing and neighborhood variables also play a significant role. Difficulties in maintaining room temperature, fuel poverty, and heating cost burdens are associated with lower wellbeing. Low area satisfaction and feelings of insecurity also contribute to lower wellbeing. The effects of these variables vary across different measures of wellbeing, raising the question of which aspect of wellbeing should be addressed. The study also highlights the challenges of targeting interventions for households with the lowest wellbeing based on publicly available data. Additionally, the research community needs to address methodological challenges in identifying appropriate covariates, defining wellbeing, and measuring key variables.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ali Reza Sadeghi, Maryam Ebadi, Fatemeh Shams, Sina Jangjoo
Summary: This study examined the relationship between the subjective well-being of citizens and perceived neighborhood environment characteristics in urban historical fabrics. The results showed a significant positive correlation between social inclusion and perceived neighborhood environment characteristics. Additionally, there were moderate positive correlations between satisfaction with life, mental well-being, positive and negative effect, and feeling of happiness, as well as a weak positive correlation with physical and mental health.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mishell Barreno, Ivan Sisa, Martha Cecilia Yepez Garcia, Hua Shen, Monica Villar, Irina Kovalskys, Mauro Fisberg, Georgina Gomez, Attilio Rigotti, Lilia Yadira Cortes, Rossina G. Pareja, Marianella Herrera-Cuenca, Viviana Guajardo
Summary: The study assessed the association between physical activity level and built environment in Latin America, finding that the current built environment in the region does not promote physical activity. This highlights the need for policies and interventions at regional and national levels to create a safe, healthy, and friendly environment to encourage participation in active recreation and sports during leisure time.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Istiaque Ahmed, Marjolein van Esch, Frank Van der Hoeven
Summary: This study provides a review of heatwave research in the Netherlands, focusing on the built environment, based on the vulnerability framework. The review highlights the need for micro-level research that considers people's everyday experiences and resilience during heat events to find context-specific adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Article
Urban Studies
Mohammad Javad Koohsari, Tomoki Nakaya, Gavin R. McCormack, Koichiro Oka
Summary: This interdisciplinary article provides an evidence-based discussion on the role of the supportive built environment on cancer prevention and raises possible equality challenges in the built environment-cancer links. It focuses on the key links between the built environment and cancer prevention strategies, discussing how the built environment may reflect and contribute to inequalities in cancer.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Kai Zhang, Robert D. Brook, Yuanfei Li, Sanjay Rajagopalan, Juyong Brian Kim
Summary: As the world becomes more urbanized, there is growing concern about how urban environments impact cardiovascular health. Urban residents are exposed to various adverse environmental factors such as air pollution, built environment, and lack of green space, which may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and related risk factors. This article provides an overview of studies examining the impact of the environment, discusses current challenges in the field, and suggests potential directions for future research. The clinical implications of these findings are highlighted, alongside proposed interventions to promote cardiovascular health among children and young adults.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Sport Sciences
P. Shamsipour Dehkordi, L. L. Hardy, A. Shams, F. Sohrabi
Summary: This study aimed to measure motor competence among different age groups (5-85 years) in Iran. The results showed a u-shaped distribution of motor competence with age, with rapid improvement during childhood and adolescence, and gradual decline after the age of 25. The findings have important implications for understanding the development of motor competence across different age groups and maintaining health in older age.
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE IN SPORT
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
H. Fangfang, H. Xiao, Z. Shuai, W. Qiong, Z. Jingya, S. Guodong, Z. Yan
Summary: The study found that there are sex-specific associations between living and built environment and cognitive function among older adults in China. Male participants living in a non-dusty environment had higher MMSE scores and lower risk of MCI, while male participants with no access to recreation spaces had lower MMSE scores and higher risk of MCI. Female participants living far from a supermarket had significantly lower MMSE scores than those who lived near a supermarket.
JPAD-JOURNAL OF PREVENTION OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Gavin Pereira
Summary: Stillbirth is more common in lower and lower-middle-income countries, leading to increased research investment in the development of prediction models. Predicting pregnancy outcomes is challenging due to limited representation in observational research. The exclusion of unrecognized pregnancies and miscarriages from prediction model development and the consequences of this selection are not well understood. Methodological challenges in developing stillbirth prediction models, such as selecting the intended model for causal explanation or prediction and ensuring a large representative sample, are discussed in relation to a recent study on stillbirth prediction for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in India. The predictive ability of this model is comparable to flipping a coin.
JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY OF INDIA
(2023)
Article
Urban Studies
Julian Bolleter, Bill Grace, Nicole Edwards, Sarah Foster, Paula Hooper
Summary: The challenge of reconciling population growth and infrastructure with rising sea levels requires the retreat of urban areas and migration of foreshore reserves to maintain ecosystem service functions.
JOURNAL OF URBAN DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alexandra Kleeman, Paula Hooper, Nicole Edwards, Julian Bolleter, Sarah Foster
Summary: This study investigated the implementation of apartment design policies in Australia and its impact on residents' use of communal open spaces (COS). The results showed a strong positive association between policy implementation scores and COS use. The study suggests the importance of more comprehensive design guidance to meet the needs of apartment residents.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Economics
Chris De Gruyter, Paula Hooper, Sarah Foster
Summary: In planning new apartment developments, the adequacy of off-street car parking for individual apartment households is often overlooked. This research, based on a survey of apartment residents in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, assesses the provision of off-street car parking and identifies factors associated with an undersupply or oversupply. The study highlights the need for tailored residential parking requirements and the potential to separate parking costs from the purchase or rental price of apartments.
JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tara Jamalishahni, Gavin Turrell, Sarah Foster, Melanie Davern, Karen Villanueva
Summary: Disadvantaged areas have higher levels of loneliness and less access to quality green space. However, there is no evidence that disparities in green space contribute to the association between neighborhood disadvantage and loneliness. Possible methodological and substantive reasons for this result are discussed.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Martino E. Malerba, Micheli Duarte de Paula Costa, Daniel A. Friess, Lukas Schuster, Mary A. Young, David Lagomasino, Oscar Serrano, Sharyn M. Hickey, Paul H. York, Michael Rasheed, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Ben Radford, Trisha B. Atwood, Daniel Ierodiaconou, Peter Macreadie
Summary: Blue carbon ecosystems (BCE), such as mangrove forests, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows, are threatened and their contribution to mitigating climate change is at risk. Remote sensing provides a promising and cost-effective method for accounting BCE at large scales. This review provides guidelines for using remote sensing technologies to develop cost-effective carbon inventories for BCE and supports the UNFCCC in incorporating blue carbon into climate change policies.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiwen Qin, Joseph Hung, Matthew W. Knuiman, Tom G. Briffa, Tiew-Hwa Katherine Teng, Frank M. Sanfilippo
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between adherence to renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASI) and beta-blockers and long-term outcomes in elderly heart failure patients. The results showed that higher adherence above 60% was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause death and death/HF readmission at 1 and 3 years. Therefore, improving adherence to these medications can improve long-term outcomes in hospitalized heart failure patients.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Matthew Mclaughlin, Andrea Nathan, Ashleigh Thornton, Jasper Schipperijn, Stewart G. Trost, Hayley Christian
Summary: This study described the adaptations made to the implementation support strategies of the Play Active intervention during scale-up and examined their impact on intervention effectiveness. The results showed that the adaptations primarily focused on the content and delivery mode of the implementation strategies, and most of them had a positive or neutral effect on the intervention effectiveness.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Emma K. Adams, Andrea Nathan, Stewart G. Trost, Jasper Schipperijn, Trevor Shilton, Georgina Trapp, Clover Maitland, Ashleigh Thornton, Matthew Mclaughlin, Phoebe George, Elizabeth Wenden, Hayley Christian
Summary: This study examined the effectiveness, implementation, and process outcomes of Play Active, a physical activity policy intervention. The results showed that Play Active significantly improved the implementation of physical activity policies, but did not lead to significant changes in children's physical activity levels. However, Play Active showed high awareness, fidelity, reach, and acceptability among educators and directors. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of Play Active over longer implementation periods and its scalability potential.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
John M. A. Duncan, Bryan Boruff
Summary: Fine spatial resolution urban vegetation datasets are important for monitoring change in green space and guiding planning and policy initiatives. Differences in the generation of fine spatial resolution datasets could affect how urban vegetation is represented.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Caitlin E. Smith, Gustavo Boitt, Bryan Boruff, Matthias Leopold
Summary: The study aims to identify key soil-related factors influencing plant community distribution and understand an old, climatically buffered infertile landscape. The research focuses on the Alison Baird Reserve in south-west Western Australia, analyzing soil samples for physical and chemical properties. It finds that elevation, sub-surface moisture, electrical conductivity, and clay content are crucial in determining vegetation composition and distribution.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Anna Henry, Leanne Fried, Andrea Nathan, Gursimran Dhamrait, Bryan Boruff, Jasper Schipperijn, Donna Cross, Ben Beck, Gina Trapp, Hayley Christian
Summary: Child obesity is a serious public health challenge influenced by individual choices and societal and environmental factors. Current Australian government policies need to address the impact of the built environment on child obesity, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and diet more comprehensively, including involving children in policy development and implementing transparent evaluation plans.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vidushi Patel, Bryan Boruff, Eloise Biggs, Natasha Pauli, Dan J. Dixon
Summary: Predicting the spatial distribution of flowering forage availability is crucial for guiding decisions in migratory beekeeping. Species distribution modelling (SDM) is commonly used in predicting geographic distribution or species ranges. In this study, a method is presented for stacking SDMs based on the temporal element of flowering phenology for melliferous flora species.
Review
Environmental Studies
Billie Giles-Corti, Sarah Foster, Bella Lynch, Melanie Lowe
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of incorporating health considerations into urban planning. City mayors have committed to creating 15-minute cities where daily amenities are within walking or cycling distance, with the aim of building healthier, more sustainable, equitable, and resilient cities. To reduce the risk of future pandemics, it is necessary to mitigate climate change, limit urban expansion, and use nature-based solutions. Cross-sector leadership and investment are crucial for achieving these goals.
NPJ URBAN SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
