Environment |
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
The Sustainable Healthy Cities network assesses environmental sustainability by tracking the resource use and pollution footprints of all seven-infrastructure sectors together to inform the impact of cities on the environment both within and outside their boundaries. Footprints that combine material-energy-flow-analyses of cities with life cycle assessments can be used to quantify the impact of cities on scarce water, energy, land, and nutrient resources.
Spatially delineating and linking such footprints with models helps characterize water-pollution, air-pollution, GHG emissions, climate impacts and ecosystem services – addressing impacts both in and outside the city boundary. The network’s research approach addresses the relationship of cities to urban design features within the city such as density and urban form that affect transportation energy use, as well as interactions with surrounding regions and with other cities via global trade.
OUR PRODUCTS
Tackling Air Pollution: Learnings from India, China, and the US
- March 2023
- Video
- Author: Princeton University
At at joint workshop of the Sustainable Healthy Cities Network, INFEWS, and the Metropolis Initiative, researchers discussed how to tackle air pollution. Speakers included: Armistead Russell, Georgia Tech Denise Mauzerall, … Read more
Urban sprawl and its effect on nearby forests
- November 2020
- Journal Brief
- Author: Multiple
This study contributes new findings on the impacts of urban sprawl on functionality of nearby forests. Download the two-page journal brief here: Urban sprawl and its effect on nearby forests … Read more
The impact of urban sprawl on forest landscapes in Southeast Michigan, 1985–2015
- July 2020
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Gounaridis, D., Newell, J.P., & Goodspeed, R. (2020). The impact of urban sprawl on forest landscapes in Southeast Michigan, 1985–2015, Landscape Ecology, 35, 1975-1993., doi: 10.1007/s10980-020-01075-9 ABSTRACT: Context: Urban sprawl … Read more
Observations of the seasonal buildup and washout of salts in urban bioswale soil
- June 2020
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Shetty, N.H., Mailloux, B.J., McGillis, W.R., & Culligan, P.J. (2020). Observations of the seasonal buildup and washout of salts in urban bioswale soil. Science of the Total Environment, 722, doi: … Read more
Assessment of the Near-road (Monitoring) Network including comparison with nearby monitors within U.S. cities
- March 2020
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Lal, R.M., Ramaswami, A., & Russell, A. (2020). Assessment of the Near-road (Monitoring) Network including comparison with nearby monitors. Environmental Research Letters (accepted manuscript), doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab8156. ABSTRACT: Emissions from mobile … Read more
Renewable Energy Planning for Future with All-Electric Heating
- May 2019
- Podcast
In this 10-minute podcast from Minnesota Public Radio’s (MPR) Climate Cast, Anu Ramaswami, SHCN Director and professor at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, discusses the local … Read more
Distributed Electricity-Based Heating Systems and Renewable Energy Scenario Planning
- April 2019
- Journal Brief
- Author: Shengxi Yuan, Wendell Stainsby, Mo Li, Kewei Xu, Michael Waite, Dan Zimmerle, Richard Feiock, Anu Ramaswami, Vijay Modi
As residential heating converts from natural gas-based to electricity-based systems, can enough renewable energy be generated locally to meet most, if not all, of increased electricity demand? This study uses … Read more
Science-Policy Dialogue Report No. 1- Distributed and Localized Infrastructure in Cities
- September 2018
- Report
- Author: Multiple
The localization and decentralization of key infrastructure systems has emerged as a potential strategy for helping cities achieve multiple sustainability outcomes spanning environment, economy, health, wellbeing, and equity. Examples of … Read more
Impacts of rural worker migration on ambient air quality and health in China: From the perspective of upgrading residential energy consumption
- April 2018
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Shen, H., Chen, Y., Russell, A. G., Hu, Y., Shen, G., Yu, H., Yu, H., Henneman, L., Ru, M., Huang, Y., Zhong, Q., Chen, Y., Li, Y., Zou, Y., Zeng, E., … Read more
Examining Built Environmental Correlates of Neighborhood Satisfaction
- March 2018
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Cao, X., Wu., X., & Y. Yuan. (2018). Examining Built Environmental Correlates of Neighborhood Satisfaction: A Focus on Analysis Approaches. Journal of Planning Literature, 33(4), 419-432. ABSTRACT: Many studies explore … Read more
Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Transitions in the ASEAN Region: A Resource Perspective (UN Environment and Sustainable Healthy Cities collaboration)
- February 2018
- Report
- Author: Multiple
The ASEAN nations are a hot spot for rapid urbanization over the next 30 years: Between 2015 and 2050, ASEAN cities are projected to add 205 million new urban residents … Read more
The Weight of Cities: Resource Requirements of Future Urbanization (International Resource Panel report with Sustainable Healthy Cities contributing authors)
- February 2018
- Report
- Author: Multiple
Over the next 30 years, an additional 2.4 billion people are likely to be added to the global urban population. This increase in population will result in a significant expansion … Read more
Circular Economies and Low Carbon Urban Infrastructure Planning
- February 2018
- Podcast
- Author: Anu Ramaswami
What is the unique role that urban infrastructure planning can play in national carbon mitigation? In this podcast, learn how cities are positioned to plan infrastructure systems using circular economy … Read more
All-city Carbon Emissions: Understanding City Types and Impact
- February 2018
- Podcast
- Author: Anu Ramaswami
It is common practice to consider the carbon emissions of single cities. But what happens when you analyze carbon emissions for all cities in a country using nationally aligned data? … Read more
Evaluating Urban Food Systems
- February 2018
- Video
- Author: Dana Boyer
It is projected that about two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. Making sure that cities can handle the influx of people means considering more … Read more
Considerations for Reducing Food System Energy Demand while Scaling Up Urban Agriculture
- December 2017
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Mohareb, E., Heller, M., Novak, P., Goldstein, B., Fonoll, X., & L. Raskin. (2017). “Considerations for Reducing Food System Energy Demand while Scaling Up Urban Agriculture.” Environmental Research Letters, 12(12). ABSTRACT: There … Read more
What Affects Local Government Climate Policy Adoption?
- November 2017
- Journal Brief
- Author: Multiple
Why do local governments in the US voluntarily adopt climate policies or climate protection plans when they could easily “free load” on the climate actions of other jurisdictions? A study … Read more
Regional Modeling of Shared Autonomous Vehicle Travel Patterns, Preferences and Impacts
- August 2017
- Journal Brief
- Author: Jun Liu, Kara Kockelman, Patrick Boesch, Francesco Ciari
How does a system of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) perform in a metropolitan region when modeled to mimic real-world daily travel behaviors? Will SAVs return sustainability gains for metropolitan regions … Read more
Urban Food-Energy-Water Systems: Interdisciplinary, Multi-Scalar and Cross-Sectoral Perspectives
- February 2017
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Newell, J. & Ramaswami, A. (Guest editors) (2017). Urban Food-Energy-Water Systems: Interdisciplinary, Multi-Scalar and Cross-Sectoral Perspectives. Environmental Research Letters. ABSTRACT: With dramatic growth of urban areas and the majority of … Read more
Municipal solid waste and dung cake burning: discoloring the Taj Mahal and human health impacts in Agra
- October 2016
- Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Author: Multiple
Lal, R. M., Nagpure, A. S., Luo, L., Tripathi, S. N., Ramaswami, A., Bergin, M. H., & Russell, A. G. (2016). “Municipal solid waste and dung cake burning: discoloring the … Read more
STAY CONNECTED
EMAIL SIGNUP
Sign up to stay up-to-date on new materials and developments with our research.
Site Map | DKS Systems