The use of 200 public libraries in New York City was analyzed according to their neighborhood characteristics. In addition to demographic, economic, and cultural factors traditionally considered, the social and spatial interactions within a neighborhood were related to public library use. Correlation and regression analyses were implemented for all the libraries. The research found that traditi...

The social forces that affect individual health are powerful and yet poorly understood. For example, the health burden of asthma is especially large for residents of low-income, inner-city neighborhoods. At the same time, many inner-city residents face health challenges associated with high levels of violence in their communities. Recent work has linked exposure to community violence with worse...

Background City is a complex of objects of different nature, spatial extension and hierarchical rank. Land parcels, buildings, street segments, firms, public institutions, and householders can be considered as “atomic” objects, while social and economic groups, neighborhoods, and the city as a whole can be considered as ensembles of atomic objects, and their properties are mostly determined by ...

To determine the prevalence of drug abuse in city neighborhoods in a developing country undergoing rapid urbanization, we performed a household survey on the spread of drug abuse in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic. A total of 1497 households from 17 villages were selected by the stratified random sampling method from urban districts in the city of Vientiane. Participatory style rese...

Growing evidence suggests that microscale pedestrian environment features, such as sidewalk quality, crosswalks, and neighborhood aesthetics, may affect residents' physical activity. This study examined whether disparities in microscale pedestrian features existed between neighborhoods of differing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic composition. Using the validated Microscale Audit of Pedestrian S...

Persistent trends in overweight and obesity have resulted in a rapid research effort focused on built environment, physical activity, and overweight. Much of the focus of this research has been on the design and form of suburbs. It suggests that several features of the suburban built environment such as low densities, poor street connectivity and the lack of sidewalks are associated with decrea...

Contemporary cities face many challenges, none the least from an urban planning perspective. Global climate change is putting pressures on planning for combatting and adapting to a warmer climate, increased levels of rainfall, etc. Urbanization urges planners to satisfy an increased need for housing in an already dense environment, without compromising the livability of neighborhoods. The overa...