Suburban Environments Research Articles

Empirical channel models for 5G at 3.6 GHz in foliage-free suburban environments

In this paper, we propose empirical channel models for 5G fixed-to-mobile technology at 3.6 GHz for foliage-free suburban environments. Four test campaigns were held, where the transmitter (Tx) in each campaigns was placed at a different height. On the other hand, the collecting receiver (Rx) antenna was placed outside the front windshield of the test vehicle while moving at a walking speed (3–5 km/h) to represent a typical mobile pedestrian user. Based on the collected measurements, single-slope and dual-slope path loss as well as large-scale (shadowing), small-scale, and multi-scale fading empirical models are proposed. It was found that the path loss exponent for this channel varies between 1.9 and 3.8; the large-scale component’s standard deviation of this channel was found to be 2∼4 decibels (dB); the small-scale component followed the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution with a mean of 1.1∼1.3 and a variance of 0.2∼1.7; and the multi-scale component followed the GEV distribution with a mean of 1.2∼1.4 and a variance of 0.4∼4.0.

Occupancy and Activity Patterns of Nine-Banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in a Suburban Environment

The geographic range of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has rapidly been expanding within the United States for the last 150 years. One of the factors contributing to this astounding range expansion is the species’ ability to survive in and colonize human-dominated areas. Despite the fact that armadillos live alongside humans in numerous towns and cities across the Southeastern, Southcentral, and now Midwestern United States, we know relatively little about the behavior and ecology of armadillos in human-developed areas. Here, we used motion-triggered game cameras in over 115 residential yards in the rapidly developing Northwest corner of Arkansas to survey armadillos in a largely suburban environment. Our objectives were to explore trends in armadillo occupancy and daily activity patterns in a suburban setting. We documented armadillos in approximately 84% of the yards surveyed indicating that the species was widespread throughout the environment. We found that the species was more likely to occupy yards surrounded by a high proportion of forest cover. We found no relationship between armadillo occupancy and other land cover or development covariates. Only 2% of nearly 2000 armadillo detections occurred during the day indicating that the species is almost exclusively nocturnal during the summer months when living near humans in the suburban environment, which we suggest is likely an adaptation to avoid contact with humans and their dogs. As the armadillo continues to expand its geographic range to areas where it has not previously occurred, understanding how human development supports and facilitates the spread of this species can elucidate areas where conflict between humans and armadillos might occur allowing for preemptive management or education to mitigate conflict.

O3ResNet: A Deep Learning–Based Forecast System to Predict Local Ground-Level Daily Maximum 8-Hour Average Ozone in Rural and Suburban Environments

Abstract With the impact of tropospheric ozone pollution on humankind, there is a compelling need for robust air quality forecasts. Here, we introduce a novel deep learning (DL) forecasting system called O3ResNet that produces a 4-day forecast for ground-level ozone. O3ResNet is based on a convolutional neural network with residual blocks. The model has been trained on 22 yr of ozone and nitrogen oxides in situ measurements and ERA5 reanalysis data from 2000 to 2021 at 328 stations in central Europe located in rural and suburban environments. Our model outperforms the state-of-the-art Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service regional forecast model ensemble for ground-level ozone with respect to the mean-square error and mean absolute error of the daily maximum 8-h running-average ozone, thus marking a major milestone for DL-based ozone prediction. O3ResNet has a very small bias without requiring additional postprocessing, and it generalizes well so that new stations can be added with no need to retrain the neural network. Because the model works on hourly data, it can be easily adapted to output other air quality metrics. We conclude that O3ResNet is sufficiently advanced and robust to become a test application for operational air quality forecasting with DL. Significance Statement In this paper, we introduce a novel deep learning approach to forecast ground-level ozone for rural and suburban environments on a local scale. Our model is able to outperform the state-of-the-art Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service regional ensemble forecast and is a major milestone toward a more reliable ozone prediction. This is important because local-scale ozone forecasts using conventional methods show significant bias or require site-dependent postprocessing. The findings suggest that the model presented in this article can become an important tool for air quality prediction.

Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Lung-Deposited Surface Area in Zurich Switzerland: Lung-Deposited Surface Area as a New Routine Metric for Ambient Particle Monitoring.

Objective: To assess the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of lung-deposited particle surface area concentration (LDSA), while testing the long-term performance of a prototype of low-cost-low-maintenance LDSA sensors. One factor hampering epidemiological studies on fine to ultrafine particles (F-to-UFP) exposure is exposure error due to their high spatiotemporal heterogeneity, not reflected in particle mass. Though LDSA shows consistent associations between F-to-UFP exposure and health effects, LDSA data are limited. Methods: We measured LDSA in a network of ten sensors, including urban, suburban, and rural environments in Zurich, Switzerland. With traffic counts, traffic co-pollutant concentrations, and meteorological parameters, we assessed the drivers of the LDSA observations. Results: LDSA reflected the high spatiotemporal heterogeneity of F-to-UFP. With micrometeorological influences, local sources like road traffic, restaurants, air traffic, and residential combustion drove LDSA. The temporal pattern of LDSA reflected that of the local sources. Conclusion: LDSA may be a viable metric for inexpensively characterizing F-to-UFP exposure. The tested devices generated sound data and may significantly contribute to filling the LDSA exposure data gap, providing grounds for more statistically significant epidemiological studies and regulation of F-to-UFP.

UAV Communication Recovery under Meteorological Conditions

Our study proposes a UAV communications recovery strategy under meteorological conditions based on a ray tracing simulation of excessive path loss in four distinct three-dimensional (3D) urban environments. We start by reviewing the air-to-ground propagation loss model under meteorological conditions, as well as the specific attenuation of rain, fog, and snow, and we propose a new expression for line-of-sight (LoS) probability. Using the two frequency bands of 28 GHz and 71 GHz, we investigate the impact of specific attenuation caused by different weather conditions and analyze the relationship between the radius of the UAV coverage area and the elevation angle. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of the rainfall rate, liquid water density, and snowfall rate on the maximum coverage area and optimal height of the UAV. Eventually, we propose a strategy that involves compensating for the maximum path loss and adjusting the UAV’s position to recover the coverage of the UAV to ground users. Our results show that rain has the greatest impact on the UAV’s coverage area and optimum height among the three types of weather conditions. For various weather conditions, relative to Region 1, the percentage reduction in the maximum coverage radius of Region 2 to Region 4 increases gradually, and the extent of each increase is approximately 10%. Moreover, after adding the compensated path loss, the coverage radius of the UAV in the four regions is restored to a value slightly larger than that before the rain. In addition, rain caused the greatest reduction in UAV coverage for suburban environments and the lowest for high-rise urban environments.

Performance and Capacity Optimization for High Speed Railway Communications Using UAV-IRS Assisted Massive MIMO System

In this paper, we study the communication performance of applying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) combined with intelligent reflective surfaces (IRS) in a high speed railway (HSR) scenario. This study investigates the design and performance of (multiple-input-multiple-output) MIMO systems with UAV and IRS assistance technology in high-mobility scenarios. Direct links between base stations (BS) and trains are often obstructed in suburban environments, especially in mountainous areas. We mount the IRS on the UAVs so that it can assist in the communication between the trains and the BS. With the help of the UAV-IRS, straight-line links can be established effectively, which greatly improves communication for train passengers. This paper considers the employment of large-scale antenna arrays at both the BS and train ends. Train passengers communicate with UAVs via antennas assembled on the roof of the train as gateways, which in turn communicate with the BS. We consider two types of antenna layouts on the train: all antennas are located in the center of the train named Co-located antennas (CA) layout and uniformly distributed along the train called distributed antennas (DA) layout. We can obtain the analytical up-link capacity by averaging over all locations in a cell for the above two layouts by considering the radio frequency consumption. Overall, the CA layout is found to be a better option for trains when attempting to maximize cell mean value of capacity, and DA layout achieves a more uniformly distribution of capacity over the entire cell. Ultimately, the best solution will depend on the specific requirements and constraints of the selected deployment scenario.

Research on dynamical properties of a three-wheeled electric vehicle from the point of view of driving safety

Abstract Many vehicles in urban and suburban environment are occupied just by one passenger, i.e. by a driver. Therefore, it is worth to think about vehicles, which would be smaller and lighter and which would include environmental-friendly power source. One such vehicle is the presented three-wheeled electric vehicle. This vehicle is designed for one passenger and it is powered by an ecologic electric powertrain. Therefore, it is necessary to research its driving properties. There are two types of vehicle designs, an original design and a modified design with a reworked body. Both are characterised by the symmetrical distribution of the mass to the longitudinal axis. In terms of driving properties of the vehicle, overturning stability during cornering and vertical dynamics in terms of safety are assessed for both original and modified designs. The article presents the main description of the original and modified designs of the three-wheeled vehicle and results from simulation computations focused on analysis of the over-turning stability. It has been revealed that the original vehicle, which is lighter, has better dynamical properties in curves with regards to driving and the higher total weight of the modified vehicle is safer in terms of vertical dynamics.

A 5.9 GHz Channel Characterization at Railroad Crossings for Train-to-Infrastructure (T2I) Communications

Intelligent transport systems (ITSs) rely on wireless communications that provide many services to ground and aerial vehicles. We believe that vehicular communication protocols can evolve the train communication systems into the next generation. However, we found that channel models in train track environments at the 5.9 GHz frequency band are scarcer than in vehicular environments. Therefore, we conduct channel measurements at the 5.86–5.91 GHz ITS band at various railroad crossings in the United States. This allows us to extract the channel parameters and evaluate the propagation channel characteristics. The evaluations show a certain similarity between the train track channel characteristics and the vehicular communications channel characteristics. The railroad channel with an omnidirectional antenna is similar to a suburban environment in the vehicular channel, and with a bidirectional antenna, it is similar to a highway LoS environment in the vehicular channel. However, more importantly, the population of the surrounding buildings and the size of the LoS window can highly affect the RF propagation characteristics.

Pesticide contamination in an intensive insect predator of honey bees

Pesticides used for plant protection can indirectly affect target and non-target organisms and are identified as a major cause of insect decline. Depending on species interactions, pesticides can be transferred into the environment from plants to preys and predators. While the transfer of pesticides is often studied through vertebrate and aquatic exposure, arthropod predators of insects may represent valuable bioindicators of environmental exposure to pesticides. A modified QuEChERS extraction coupled with HPLC-MS/MS analysis was used to address the question of the exposure to pesticides of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina, a specialist predator of honey bees. This analytical method allows the accurate quantification of nanogram/gram levels of 42 contaminants in a sample weight that can be obtained from single individuals. Pesticide residues were analyzed in female workers from 24 different hornet nests and 13 different pesticides and 1 synergist, piperonyl butoxide, were identified and quantified. In 75 % of the explored nests, we found at least one compound and in 53 % of the positive samples we could quantify residues ranging from 0.5 to 19.5 ng.g−1. In this study, hornets from nests located in sub-urban environments were the most contaminated. Pesticide residue analysis in small and easy to collect predatory insects opens new perspectives for the study of environmental contamination and the transfer of pesticides in terrestrial trophic chains.

Suburbanization within the city? Exploring suburban lifestyles in the inner-city of Leipzig (Germany)

The long-prevailing image of a clear delimitation between core city and suburbs has been increasingly questioned in research. New qualitative approaches are necessary to describe the urban-suburban relationship based on a sociocultural heterogenization of suburbs and the spread of suburban lifestyles into inner cities. The concept of inner-city suburbanization is one approach to define spaces as urban or suburban regardless of geographical location. Drawing upon this concept, the present paper explores suburban lifestyles in the inner-city area of Leipzig and their role in the socio-spatial urban transformation. For this purpose, we identify and map owner-occupied middle-class family housing estates in central urban locations. Using qualitative individual and focus group interviews with the residents, complemented by site observation, we explore to what extent these single-family houses resemble traditional suburbs in terms of morphology and social structure in four different case studies. All of the cases show how suburban qualities, such as homeownership and socio-economical homogeneity, go hand in hand with the benefits of their urban locations. This hybrid character reflects the dissolution of the classical place-specific distinctions between urban and suburban environments and patterns. Simultaneously, dynamics of upgrading and social exclusion from housing unfold in the residential areas, where middle-class family housing estates emerge. Thus, we raise the question of the interrelation between inner-city suburbanization processes and gentrification trends in Leipzig.

Endocrine effects of exposure to artificial light at night: A review and synthesis of knowledge gaps

Animals have evolved with natural patterns of light and darkness, such that light serves as an important zeitgeber, allowing adaptive synchronization of behavior and physiology to external conditions. Exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) interferes with this process, resulting in dysregulation of endocrine systems. In this review, we evaluate the endocrine effects of ALAN exposure in birds and reptiles, identify major knowledge gaps, and highlight areas for future research. There is strong evidence for ecologically relevant levels of ALAN acting as an environmental endocrine disruptor. However, most studies focus on the pineal hormone melatonin, corticosterone release via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, or regulation of reproductive hormones via the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, leaving effects on other endocrine systems largely unknown. We call for more research spanning a diversity of hormonal systems and levels of endocrine regulation (e.g. circulating hormone levels, receptor numbers, strength of negative feedback), and investigating involvement of molecular mechanisms, such as clock genes, in hormonal responses. In addition, longer-term studies are needed to elucidate potentially distinct effects arising from chronic exposure. Other important areas for future research effort include investigating intraspecific and interspecific variability in sensitivity to light exposure, further distinguishing between distinct effects of different types of light sources, and assessing impacts of ALAN exposure early in life, when endocrine systems remain sensitive to developmental programming. The effects of ALAN on endocrine systems are likely to have a plethora of downstream effects, with implications for individual fitness, population persistence, and community dynamics, especially within urban and suburban environments.

Accessory Dwelling Units and Incremental Urbanism: Becoming 'Urban' or just 'Intensive Suburban'?

As suburban environments are increasingly brought into the purview of urban planning, there is an emerging narrative of the importance of 'incremental urbanism' (Pinnegar et al., 2015). For some (Dovey, 2014) this presents an opportunity for a gentler approach to catalyse change in neighbourhoods with established communities and fragmented ownership patterns. Such change is hoped to overcome the perceived shortcomings of car dependency and housing homogeneity that typifies established suburbs. The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) has entered the policy lexicon as an incremental pathway – or blending – from pre-existing suburban environments, where the 'sub' dissipates to leave just 'urban'. This paper presents an analysis of ADUs in Sydney, Australia, where we identify a series of challenges created by the introduction of policies to encourage ADUs in established suburbs. This includes increasing tenure informality and precarity, poor suitability of neighbourhoods for diverse people and households, and increased dependence on shared amenity. We argue that in the absence of any major effort to improve services and infrastructure, there is little evidence that neighbourhoods experiencing a high take-up of ADUs are transitioning to becoming more 'urban'. The fetishization of density in urban policy and development is leading to more 'intensive suburban' blendscapes that encapsulate the worst elements of both suburban and urban morphologies.

An adaptive spreading factor allocation scheme for mobile LoRa networks: Blind ADR with distributed TDMA scheduling

Nowadays, the rapid proliferation of IoT opens up enormous potential for a broad range of applications in every industry. Thanks to the chirp spread spectrum modulation and high receiver sensitivity, LoRa technology has an enormous potential to achieve long range transmission with low power consumption. The most critical bottleneck of the LoRa is the scalability limitations due to ALOHA-based random channel access for uplink packet transmission. When considering the scalability of LoRa networks, ADR (Adaptive Data Rate) is a key mechanism for the LoRaWAN protocol stack which controls the allocation of network resources by appropriately selecting the transmission parameters of end devices. The existing ADR algorithms have been mostly interested for static networks, where both end-devices and gateway(s) are fixed. Unfortunately, these algorithms do not provide the expected performance when it comes to mobility of end devices or gateway(s). This study introduces a clear method for blind ADR implementation, in which the spreading factor assignment made by end devices themselves. The performance of the proposed method has been validated through MATLAB-based computer simulations in urban, suburban, and rural environments. The obtained results show a promising performance in terms of packet reliability and fairness.

Comparison of Single-Lane Roundabout Entry Degree of Saturation Estimations from Analytical and Regression Models

Roundabout design is an iterative process consisting of a preliminary geometry design, geometry performance checks, and the estimation of intersection functionality (based on the results of analytical or regression models). Since both roundabout geometry design procedures and traffic characteristics vary around the world, the discussion on which functionality estimation model is more appropriate is ongoing. This research aims to reduce the uncertainty in decision-making during this final roundabout design stage. Its two objectives were to analyze and compare the results of roundabout performance estimations derived from one analytical and one regression model, and to quantify the model results’ susceptibility to changes in roundabout geometric parameters. For this, 60 four-legged single-lane roundabout schemes were created, varying in size and leg alignment. Their geometric parameters resulted from the assumption of their location in a suburban environment and chosen design vehicle swept path analysis. To compare the models’ results, the degree of saturation of roundabout entries was calculated based on presumed traffic flows. The results showed that the regression model estimates higher functionality and that this difference (both between the two models and regression models applied on different schemes) is more pronounced as the outer radius and angle between the legs increase.

Comparative evaluation of spectrum occupancy of the broadcasting bands in urban, sub-urban and rural environments

Wireless services are at high demand all over the world, leading to increased bandwidth requirement and exhausted spectrum. In response, efforts are on-going to find ways to allow secondary access to spectrum without causing unacceptable interference issues to the Primary Users. In the fore-front of these efforts is the attempt to allow for secondary access on the TV spectrum, hence this analysis on spectrum usage measured outdoors in three locations namely Calabar in Cross River State representing an urban environment, Eket and Asong in Akwa Ibom State representing semi-urban and rural communities in Nigeria respectively. The UHF band percentage utilizations for the three locations were 98%, 76% and 33% with available cumulative bandwidths of 8MHz, 96MHz, and 264MHz respectively. Further validation of urban spectrum condition was done at Uyo in Akwa Ibom State. Findings showed that the spectrums are relatively busy in the urban and semi-urban areas whereas the economically challenging rural areas have free spectrum that can be deployed to enhance cellular broadband services at affordable rates to uplift the living standard of the dwellers.

Predicting Fecal Indicator Bacteria Using Spatial Stream Network Models in A Mixed-Land-Use Suburban Watershed in New Jersey, USA

Good water quality safeguards public health and provides economic benefits through recreational opportunities for people in urban and suburban environments. However, expanding impervious areas and poorly managed sanitary infrastructures result in elevated concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria and waterborne pathogens in adjacent waterways and increased waterborne illness risk. Watershed characteristics, such as urban land, are often associated with impaired microbial water quality. Within the proximity of the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania metropolitan area, the Musconetcong River has been listed in the Clean Water Act's 303 (d) List of Water Quality-Limited Waters due to high concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). In this study, we aimed to apply spatial stream network (SSN) models to associate key land use variables with E. coli as an FIB in the suburban mixed-land-use Musconetcong River watershed in the northwestern New Jersey. The SSN models explicitly account for spatial autocorrelation in stream networks and have been widely utilized to identify watershed attributes linked to deteriorated water quality indicators. Surface water samples were collected from the five mainstem and six tributary sites along the middle section of the Musconetcong River from May to October 2018. The log10 geometric means of E. coli concentrations for all sampling dates and during storm events were derived as response variables for the SSN modeling, respectively. A nonspatial model based on an ordinary least square regression and two spatial models based on Euclidean and stream distance were constructed to incorporate four upstream watershed attributes as explanatory variables, including urban, pasture, forest, and wetland. The results indicate that upstream urban land was positively and significantly associated with the log10 geometric mean concentrations of E. coli for all sampling cases and during storm events, respectively (p < 0.05). Prediction of E. coli concentrations by SSN models identified potential hot spots prone to water quality deterioration. The results emphasize that anthropogenic sources were the main threats to microbial water quality in the suburban Musconetcong River watershed. The SSN modeling approaches from this study can serve as a novel microbial water quality modeling framework for other watersheds to identify key land use stressors to guide future urban and suburban water quality restoration directions in the USA and beyond.

Comparison of mosquito and fly derived DNA as a tool for sampling vertebrate biodiversity in suburban forests in Berlin, Germany

AbstractThe use of invertebrate‐derived DNA (iDNA) is a promising non‐invasive tool to monitor wildlife. While most studies have been carried out in dense tropical and sub‐tropical forests and have focused on the use of a single category of invertebrates, this study compares the use of flies and mosquitoes‐derived DNA to assess vertebrate diversity in semi‐urban environments. We conducted our sampling in four different forest plots in Berlin, Germany. Pools of flies and non‐bloodfed mosquitoes were metabarcoded using 108‐bp vertebrate‐specific 12 S rRNA (12 S‐V5) and 94‐bp mammal‐specific 16 S rRNA (16Smam) mitochondrial markers, and individual bloodfed mosquitoes were sequenced using the 340‐bp vertebrate‐specific 12 S rRNA fragment (Mam‐12 S‐340). Most sequencing was only successful for mammal species. From the fly pools, we detected 10 mammal species using 16Smam, and six species using 12 S‐V5. From the non‐bloodfed mosquito pools, we only amplified putative contaminant DNA, indicating that mosquito females without visual signs of a blood meal carry no traces of vertebrate DNA. Finally, in the bloodfed mosquitoes, we identified four mammal species. We did not find significant differences in the proportion of mammal species detected regarding the total available number of species between sampling localities. Fly samples were easier to obtain and more abundant over the sampled localities compared to mosquito samples. We conclude that, while there are a few advantages in using mosquito blood meals, the use of flies in the detection of wildlife in a suburban environment is more effective in terms of collection of samples and detection of vertebrates, although this technique is limited to few mammal species in the urban environment.

End of the line: The impact of new suburban rail stations on housing prices

This study leverages the staggered opening of new Metro stations in a suburb of Washington, DC to estimate the impact of proximity to public rail transit on housing prices. Both hedonic and repeat sales models indicate that housing prices increase as distance increases, suggesting that living near public transportation in Prince George’s County is primarily viewed as a disamenity. For properties at one mile from the nearest station, the preferred repeat sales model estimates a marginal price increase of 4.6 percent for a one-mile increase in distance. I argue that the suburban environment may be key in explaining the results. In the suburbs, a greater share of the population relies on automobiles, and rail stations are typically equipped with large parking lots. The suburban environment allows households the opportunity to both benefit from public transportation access and mitigate the negative externalities associated with living right next to the station.

Becoming homebound by choice and constraint: a mixed-methods look into ageing and mobility transitions

This paper focuses on the transition of mobility practices and more specifically how certain older individuals experience patterns of Déprises leading them to adopt a more homebound lifestyle. As individuals age and advance in their life cycle, their capacities for mobility are prone to change, along with their lifestyles. Sometimes these changes are voluntary and done in a proactive manner, sometimes they are the product of external events. In some instances, following a transition period, these changes can result in a loss of mobility capacities, a continuation or reconfiguration of activities, or sometimes even an extension of mobility capacities, and therefore autonomy. As shown in earlier research, this process takes place in ways that are as diverse as the life course of each individual. This diversity, however, is still underrepresented in research, where older adults are often studied as a block according to their age (65+, 75+). This paper aims to delve deeper into the events and process leading to transition in mobility capacities among diverse profiles of older adults living in urban and suburban environments. To do so, the paper first presents results from statistical analysis showing how mobility practices can differ in older adults of different age groups representing different moments of the life cycle. Focusing afterward on a specific profile (the Stay-at-home), the article uses interview data to illustrate how diverse events, decisions and adaptation strategies led diverse individuals to become more homebound over the course of ageing. The article exposes a diversity of situations among Stay-at-home individuals, with transitions that are chosen or suffered. We conclude on strategies this plurality of Stay-at-home use to maintain their mobility and how we can support them to help them keep their autonomy.

Range-wide site-occupancy modeling of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Abstract Globally, habitat loss and land conversion are major drivers of bird population decline. To halt the decline, it is essential that habitat conservation and restoration efforts are based on an understanding of how individual species use their habitat. Here, we examine habitat use by Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) by quantifying their probability of occurrence in different land cover types and in association with varying degrees of habitat modification across most of the species’ range. To do so, we used the citizen-science eBird dataset, in combination with MODIS land cover data to model site occupancy for two breeding seasons and related presence/absence to the Global Human Modification Index. We found that Red-winged Blackbirds occupy rural and suburban habitats at higher probabilities than they do habitats with high levels of urbanization, and at similar or higher probabilities than they do their historic, natural habitats. Furthermore, we found that occurrence probability peaks at intermediate values of the Global Human Modification Index. The results were consistent across most ecoregions and the geographic range of the species, confirming that the Red-winged Blackbird is a suburban-adaptable species, persisting in moderately disturbed environments. Although more research is needed to understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of this pattern of habitat use, our results provide novel data on Red-winged Blackbird habitat use in the midst of increasing urbanization. More broadly, they provide insight into how common, widespread avian species may be affected by anthropogenic disturbance and highlight the importance of rural and suburban environments in urban ecology and evolution.