Ecohydrology. 2017;10:e1813. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1813 Abstract The use of green infrastructure for reducing stormwater runoff is increasingly common. One under‐studied component of the green infrastructure network is the urban forest system. Trees can play an important role as the “first line of defense” for restoring more natural hydrologic regimes in urban watersheds by intercepting r...

Brent D. Ryan first visited Detroit in 1993. Describing this experience, he says: ‘‘The sense of emptiness was overpowering. ... I felt as if I was walking into the ruin of America.’’ In his book ‘‘Design after decline—how America rebuilds shrinking cities,’’ Ryan tries to understand why so many American cities have been losing population, what was and is done to change the fortune of these cit...

Can you imagine a city that feels, understands, and cares about your wellbeing? Future cities will reshape human behavior in countless ways. New strategies and models are required for future urban spaces to properly respond to human activity, environmental conditions, and market dynamics. Persuasive urban systems will play an important role in making cities more livable and resource-efficient b...

Background: Leisure time physical activities have been a priority in recent years for many health practitioners, with transport-related physical activity (TPA) largely ignored. The urban environment has altered in the last few decades, increasing the reliance on automobiles. Simultaneously we have seen increases in obesity and other non-communicable diseases related to sedentary lifestyles. Met...

This paper presents an urban analysis work flow using a Rhinoceros/Grasshopper massing tool. The tool utilizes terrain elevation models as part of the design process to subdivide sites and generate urban form to be explored parametrically. It can then be linked to various performance assessment methods. As a proof of concept, the study uses a walkability calculator for three urban form alternat...

This paper presents a sidewalk pavement width design method for making more pedestrian friendly and walk-inspiring sidewalk pavements in the urban area. Instead of using the current sidewalk pavement width design standard that usually leads to having minimum values, this research investigated pedestrians’ preferences on the levels of service, surveyed actual foot path trajectories in the sidewa...

BACKGROUND Urban-rural comparisons are of limited relevance in examining the effects of urban migration in developing countries where urbanisation is due to growth of existing urban populations, expansion of urban boundaries, and rural in-migration. Cultural, genetic and life-style backgrounds of migrants and host populations further limit the value of rural-urban comparisons. Therefore we eval...