Suburban Neighborhoods Research Articles

What Makes a Liveable Neighborhood? Role of Socio-Demographic, Dwelling, and Environmental Factors and Participation in Finnish Urban and Suburban Areas.

Quality of residential area, or neighborhood, is one determinant of overall quality of life and associated with health and health behavior. Ensuring that urban and suburban neighborhoods remain liveable and comfortable to reside in is a challenge amidst growing urbanization. Neighborhood quality has been associated with socio-demographic, dwelling-related, and subjective and objective neighborhood factors. However, only a few studies have additionally included participation in neighborhood decision-making and examined whether these associations are stronger among residents who are more settled in the neighborhood. We examined whether subjectively and objectively measured environmental factors and participation are associated with perception of neighborhood liveability and possible effect moderators. We analyzed survey data collected in 2021 among adults (aged 18-97) living in suburbs and urban centers in five Finnish cities (n = 2057; response rate 34%) with logistic regression models. Almost 80% of the respondents perceived their neighborhood as liveable or very liveable. The following factors were most strongly associated with perceiving the neighborhood as liveable: low area-level socioeconomic deprivation; central urban zone; green view from home; satisfaction with neighborhood safety, green areas, blue areas, and maintenance of traffic routes; and good or very good possibilities to influence decisions regarding the neighborhood. Only a few interactions between indicators of being more settled in the neighborhood (e.g., age group and dwelling ownership) modified these associations. In all, our study suggests that to maintain liveability, urban or community planning should consider local residents' favorable perceptions of safety, recreational areas, and engagement in decision-making.

Using eddy-covariance to measure the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on CO2 emissions in a neighborhood of Indianapolis, IN

Eddy-covariance (EC) flux measurements in Indianapolis were used to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on CO and CO2 emissions from a highway and a suburban neighborhood. CO2 fluxes were measured for 6 weeks pre-lockdown (January 22, 2020–March 3, 2020) and during lockdown (March 25, 2020– May 5, 2020) using EC instrumentation at 41 m AGL. Fossil fuel CO2 emissions (CO2ff) were estimated by calculating eddy diffusivity to obtain CO flux and then scaling by the CO:CO2ff emissions ratio (RCO). Flux measurements segregated by wind direction were compared to hourly emissions from the 2020 Hestia inventory model. The lockdown CO2ff average weekday emissions from the highway estimated by EC decreased by 51.5 ± 10.9% (11.2 ± 2.2 µmol m−2 s−1) compared to pre-lockdown, similar to Hestia’s estimate 56 ± 7% (12 ± 1 µmol m−2 s−1). The EC measurements detected a significant (2.2 ± 0.7 µmol m−2 s−1) but smaller magnitude decrease in CO2ff emissions from the suburban neighborhood. The daily cycles of CO2ff emissions were significantly correlated with Hestia estimates from the highway but not from the suburbs. This study demonstrates that EC flux towers and high-resolution inventory models in regions with mixed and spatially heterogeneous sources can quantify abrupt changes in sector- and source-specific CO2 fluxes.

Suburban neighbourhoods versus panel housing estates – An ecological footprint-based assessment of different residential areas in Budapest, seeking for improvement opportunities

Suburban neighbourhoods versus panel housing estates – An ecological footprint-based assessment of different residential areas in Budapest, seeking for improvement opportunities

Association between neighborhood built environment and resident leisure walking – A cross-sectional study in China

IntroductionPhysical activity has a vital influence in promoting health and sustainable development of society and environment. Leisure walking, as a widely embraced low-cost physical activity, can effectively help reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases and enhance health. Improving the neighborhood built environment may affect the quality of leisure walking, as an activity that depends upon features of the built environment. MethodsUsing data from the 2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey, we obtained a sample of 1006 residents from 134 neighborhoods in nine provinces east of the Heihe-Tengchong Line in China. We used logit mixed-effect models and linear mixed-effect models to measure associations between neighborhood built environment characteristics and leisure walking durations within urban, suburban, county-seat, and rural neighborhoods. We differentiated between leisure walking on weekdays and weekends. ResultsResidents in rural neighborhoods that had dirt or paved roads had shorter leisure walking durations compared with residents in rural neighborhoods that had mainly gravel roads. Residents in urban neighborhoods that had gyms had shorter leisure walking durations compared with residents in urban neighborhoods for which the nearest gym was outside the neighborhood. The presence of parks did not show any significant association with leisure walking durations in any neighborhood type. The presence of bus stops was associated with greater leisure walking durations in county-seat neighborhoods, as were more restaurants in suburban neighborhoods. ConclusionSeemingly mundane built environment factors such as road pavement type appeared to be more closely associated with the duration of leisure walking than previously studied parks. Different built environment factors were associated with leisure walking duration within specific neighborhood types. Further research should focus on the characteristics of leisure walking behavior in various spatial contexts and during different time periods to continue to reveal the complex interactions between built environment factors and leisure walking.

Neighborhood ethnicity is related to mammal occupancy and activity across a desert metropolitan area

AbstractCities support abundant human and wildlife populations that are shaped indirectly and directly by human decisions, often resulting in unequal access to environmental services and accessible open spaces. Urban land cover drives biodiversity patterns across metropolitan areas, but at smaller scales that matter to local residents, neighborhood socio‐cultural factors can influence the presence and abundance of wildlife. Neighborhood income is associated with plant and animal diversity in some cities, but the influence of other social variables is less well understood, especially across desert ecosystems. We explored wildlife distribution across gradients of neighborhood ethnicity in addition to income and landscape characteristics within residential areas of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Utilizing data from 38 wildlife cameras deployed in public parks and undeveloped open spaces within or near suburban neighborhoods, we estimated occupancy and activity patterns of common mammal species, including species native to the Sonoran Desert (coyote [Canis latrans] and desert cottontail rabbit [Sylvilagus audubonii]), and non‐native domestic cat (Felis catus). Neighborhood ethnicity (percentage of Latino residents) appeared to exhibit a negative relationship with occupancy for coyotes and cottontail rabbits. Additionally, daily activity patterns of coyotes occurred later in the evenings and mornings in neighborhoods with higher proportions of Latino residents, but activity was unaffected by differences in neighborhood income. This study is one of the first to show that social‐ecological mechanisms associated with patterns of neighborhood ethnicity as well as income may help to shape wildlife distribution in cities. These findings have implications for equitable management and provisioning of ecosystem services for urban residents and highlight the importance of considering a range of social covariates to better understand biodiversity outcomes in urban and urbanizing areas.

Effects of microclimate on disease prevalence across an urbanization gradient.

Increased temperatures associated with urbanization (the "urban heat island" effect) have been shown to impact a wide range of traits across diverse taxa. At the same time, climatic conditions vary at fine spatial scales within habitats due to factors including shade from shrubs, trees, and built structures. Patches of shade may function as microclimate refugia that allow species to occur in habitats where high temperatures and/or exposure to ultraviolet radiation would otherwise be prohibitive. However, the importance of shaded microhabitats for interactions between species across urbanized landscapes remains poorly understood. Weedy plants and their foliar pathogens are a tractable system for studying how multiple scales of climatic variation influence infection prevalence. Powdery mildew pathogens are particularly well suited to this work, as these fungi can be visibly diagnosed on leaf surfaces. We studied the effects of shaded microclimates on rates of powdery mildew infection on Plantago host species in (1) "pandemic pivot" surveys in which undergraduate students recorded shade and infection status of thousands of plants along road verges in urban and suburban residential neighborhoods, (2) monthly surveys of plant populations in 22 parks along an urbanization gradient, and (3) a manipulative field experiment directly testing the effects of shade on the growth and transmission of powdery mildew. Together, our field survey results show strong positive effects of shade on mildew infection in wild Plantago populations across urban, suburban, and rural habitats. Our experiment suggests that this relationship is causal, where microclimate conditions associated with shade promote pathogen growth. Overall, infection prevalence increased with urbanization despite a negative association between urbanization and tree cover at the landscape scale. These findings highlight the importance of taking microclimate heterogeneity into account when establishing links between macroclimate or land use context and prevalence of disease.

Suburban neighbourhoods as places for everyday cultural participation: the case of Jyväskylä in Finland

ABSTRACT The research on and policy related to cultural participation calls for more attention to how people include culture in their everyday lives and local surroundings. We analyse the everyday cultural experiences of people spending free time in suburbs in a Nordic context. We analyse the characteristics of our case suburban neighbourhoods as spatial contexts of cultural participation and reflect on the methodology for analysing everyday cultural participation in place. We show that (1) other meaningful activities at a certain location affect cultural participation, (2) cultural offerings outside the neighbourhood affect the motives for and patterns of cultural participation in and from the neighbourhood (3) other public policy sectors than the actual cultural sector influence the support of cultural participation in a certain location.

Community displacement challenges in educational tourism

ABSTRACT This study investigates issues relating to community displacement of the indigenous residents of Famagusta resulting in an increased rate of relocation to the suburbs due to the sudden growth of educational tourism; thus, the main objective of the current study is to obtain perspectives of learners on primary motives. An in-depth interview of 28 Cypriots in Famagusta, through purposive sampling was used to gather data for the current research. Findings reveal that the increase in educational tourism in Famagusta caused the indigenous Cypriots to move into suburban neighbourhoods. Factors including urbanization issues, social issues, economic issues, cultural issues, and environmental issues were revealed to be the most challenging issues resulting in community displacement.

Barriers to resident participation in tree-planting initiatives across a metropolitan area

Past research on barriers to the development and implementation of green infrastructure (GI) has examined the experiences of policy makers and community leaders, with a focus on planting or installing GI. However, many of these programs rely on participation from the public — especially residents — who often steward GI over the long-term on both public and private lands. To better understand the barriers experienced by primary stewards of GI, we conducted 93 intercept interviews with residents spanning four neighborhoods in the City of Philadelphia and in four nearby suburban municipalities with active TPIs. Selected neighborhoods and towns included areas with varied canopy cover and economically and racially diverse communities. We found that residents viewed trees as a neighborhood asset, yet they also identified multiple categories of barriers across the tree lifecycle, including physical, maintenance, aesthetic, knowledge, and environmental issues. Our study also reveals the convergence and divergence of barriers experienced across city and suburban neighborhoods based on contextual factors. Our results suggest that barriers to participation in TPIs are multi-dimensional, context-specific, and endure across the lifecycle of GI. Long-term maintenance concerns relate to tree care that is outside the purview of TPIs led by non-profit organizations. Advancing equitable urban forestry that reaches neighborhoods with the greatest need requires recognition and respect of resident and community experiences, needs, and land use priorities, as well as improved institutional collaboration.

Walk further and access more! Exploring the 15-minute city concept in Oslo, Norway

The 15-minute city theory has recently become a popular paradigm in urban development. It claims that everyone should have access to the essential services, facilities and green spaces within a 15-minute walk. This article tests this concept in Oslo, Norway using a mixed-methods approach, based on a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analysis of accessibility, review of relevant plans, interviews with planners and a case study of the Hovinbyen area. The objective was to find out to what extent Oslo is a 15-minute city, and discuss how this concept can be integrated in urban planning strategies more generally. The study shows that the central part of Oslo is already a 15-minute city, and that several areas are transforming in this direction. However, many suburban neighborhoods have low accessibility scores, and, according to the plans, will likely not change much in the future. This article argues that the 15-minute city concept cannot serve as the main development strategy, but such an analysis can be useful as a diagnostic study or to assist planning in rapidly changing areas or city extensions. The concept can therefore be considered as a flexible tool to support other planning strategies that share the same goals and ambitions. Any interventions that such accessibility analyses suggest should be contextualized and developed in combination with other qualitative assessments and in partnership with local communities.

Identification of typical district configurations: A two-step global sensitivity analysis framework

The recent geopolitical conflicts in Europe have underscored the vulnerability of the current energy system to the volatility of energy carrier prices. In the prospect of defining robust energy systems ensuring sustainable energy supply in the future, the imperative of leveraging renewable indigenous energy sources becomes evident. However, as such technologies are integrated into the existing system, it is necessary to shift from the current centralized infrastructure to a decentralized production strategy. This paper presents a method to identify a panel of technological solutions at the district level, intended to reduce complexity for the integration of decentralized models into a national-scale model. The framework’s novelty lies in combining a global sensitivity analysis for solution generation with clustering to identify typical configurations. The global sensitivity analysis is performed on a mixed integer linear programming model, which optimally sizes and operates district energy systems. The sensitivity analysis determines the most influential parameters of the model using the Morris method and provides a representative sampling of the solution space by leveraging the Sobol sampling strategy. The latter is then clustered using a density-based algorithm to identify typical solutions. The framework is applied to a suburban and residential Swiss neighborhood. The first outcome of the research is the high sensitivity of the model to energy carrier prices. As a result, Sobol’s sampling space separates itself into two system types: those based on a natural gas boiler and those relying on a combination of electrical heaters and heat pumps. For both types, the electricity demand is either fulfilled by PV panels or electricity imports. The identified configurations showcase that the framework successfully generates a panel of solutions composed of various system configurations and operations being representative of the overall solution space.

Evaluation of the “Build your bike!” pilot project by and for disadvantaged youth: A school-based intervention to promote active mobility

The densification of urban centers has driven individuals with low income toward more affordable suburban neighborhoods, thereby constraining transportation options due to car-centric planning and the difficulty for public transit systems to meet mobility needs. Recognizing that active cycling promotes travel autonomy, social participation, and physical and mental well-being, the promotion of such behavior through localized interventions stands as a critical objective to foster transport equity. In this context, in collaboration with the organization “Cyclo Nord-Sud,” this study aims to explore the outcomes and favorable components of the “Build Your Bike!” pilot project offered as an extracurricular activity to high school students in a disadvantaged neighborhood. A qualitative, comprehensive approach with an inductive and phenomenological perspective was employed. We conducted a focus group at the end of the program and used conceptual categories to complete the analysis. The results revealed positive outcomes from the program related to: 1) well-being, 2) learning, 3) access to a bicycle, and 4) mobility. Favorable mechanisms encompassed: 1) the approach of adult mentors, 2) extracurricular involvement, 3) teamwork, 4) manual labor, and 5) bicycle ownership upon program completion. The mechanisms identified by the participants hold potential for improvement in future program iterations and can guide the development of similar interventions.

Temporal and Spatial Urban Heat Islands in a Coastal Brazilian Area of Tropical Climate

This study explores the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória (MRV), Brazil. Two methods were employed: the traditional approach estimating the Atmospheric Urban Heat Island (UHI) using air temperature data, and the quantiles method assessing the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) through medium spatial resolution images. The findings demonstrate the existence of an average heat island effect, as estimated by both UHI (+0.9 °C) and SUHI (+2.03 °C). The intensity of the atmospheric UHI is linked with higher air temperature values around midday. Additionally, the study reveals that UHI values in the MRV are more pronounced during spring and summer SUHI estimates peak during the summer months. The utilization of orbital remote sensing enables the identification of hotspots throughout the metropolitan area, with the highest temperatures observed in industrial areas, suburban neighborhoods, and densely populated regions. The advantage of the UHI method lies in its long time series, providing high temporal resolution and statistical significance over an extended period. Conversely, the SUHI method offers the advantage of considering data across the entire domain with high spatial resolution. Thus, these two methods complement each other in identifying the heat island phenomenon.

Exploration, exploitation, and development: Developmental shifts in decision-making.

Decision-making requires balancing exploration with exploitation, yet children are highly exploratory, with exploration decreasing with development. Less is known about what drives these changes. We examined the development of decision-making in 188 three- to eight-year-old children (M = 64 months; 98 girls) and 26 adults (M = 19 years; 13 women). Children were recruited from ethnically diverse suburban middle-class neighborhoods of Columbus, Ohio, USA. Results indicate that mature reward-based choices emerge relatively late in development, with children tending to over-explore. Computational modeling suggests that this exploration is systematic rather than random, as children tend to avoid repeating choices made on the previous trial. This pattern of exploration (reminiscent of novelty preference) decreased with development, whereas the tendency to exploit increased.

Back to the suburbs? Millennial residential locations from the Great Recession to the pandemic

In the past decade, there has been a great deal of attention paid to and speculation about the residential mobility and location decisions of millennials. Academics and practitioners alike have been trying to determine where millennials are moving and why, including whether they are leading a ‘back to the city’ movement or whether they are moving to the suburbs as previous generations did at their age. Using US Census data, this article examines the geographical population distribution of young adults in the USA in recent decades. Categorising neighbourhoods by their urban or suburban character and by their central or peripheral location, we find that millennials lived in urban areas on the heels of the Great Recession at higher rates than previous generations. However, over the decade, the millennial population gradually shifted towards suburban areas: central urban and peripheral urban neighbourhoods largely lost millennial residents from 2011 to 2021, while peripheral suburban neighbourhoods experienced substantial gains. When it comes to neighbourhood amenities (e.g. restaurants and parks), millennials largely left amenity-rich areas for neighbourhoods with fewer amenities, though these amenities grew faster in the neighbourhoods that gained millennials the most. Millennial suburbanisation seems to be associated with housing affordability and demand for larger homes, as the population shift was more pronounced in the metros that have lower housing affordability and a lower share of larger homes in their central urban neighbourhoods. The results indicate the importance of affordable and right-sized housing, complemented with neighbourhood amenities, in attracting and retaining this population group.

Mapping liveability: The “15-min city” concept for car-dependent districts in Auckland, New Zealand

This research explores the feasibility of aligning cities with post-COVID realities by retrofitting the emerging 15-min city model into the current urban setup. COVID-19's lasting global effects on trans-territorial mobility, particularly in car-dependent cities, prompt a rethinking of urban models and infrastructure for heightened resilience and post-pandemic liveability. Using network analysis and GIS mapping techniques, this research applies the 15-min city model to identify the most “liveable areas” in two car-dependent suburban neighbourhoods with contrasting service structures—dispersed in Remuera and centralised in Onehunga in Auckland City, New Zealand. “Liveable areas” are defined as areas with overlap coverage of all 6 essential services within a 15-min walk. The analysis involves a horizontal comparison of essential service coverage and a longitudinal analysis of the impacts of essential service coverage, both collectively and individually, within both neighbourhoods. Findings suggest the potential to retrofit both districts' urban infrastructure, while proximity to retail, healthcare, and leisure facilities are the services most urgently needing improvements. Noted issues include excessive big-box retail growth, uneven healthcare distribution, and private, non-everyday access to natural resources. This research methodically tests proximity-based planning for sustainable living, work, and recreation in car-dependent districts with centralised or dispersed urban structures.

Radar-Based Localization For Autonomous Ground Vehicles In Suburban Neighborhoods

Radar-Based Localization For Autonomous Ground Vehicles In Suburban Neighborhoods

Implications of Transport Poverty and Social Exclusion in Lagos State Transportation System

The link between transportation and social inclusion is well-established. Poor access to transportation services makes goods and services inaccessible, further marginalizing those who do not own motor vehicles. Sociologists look at social exclusion from these dimensions - poverty, inequality, lack of decent and accessible public services, inadequate public transport, the welfare and benefits system, and lack of good housing. These inequalities existed in our transportation system before the introduction of new technologies and business models, and they are exacerbated by present-day social disadvantages. This study examined the transport poverty metrics and housing quality index in some selected parts of Lagos Nigeria. The sample for the study was taken from six (6) locations with four hundred and eighty (480) questionnaires i.e., eighty (80) for each location. There were one hundred and sixty-eight (168) female respondents and three hundred and twelve (312) male respondents with four stated objectives and data for the study was collected through questionnaires. The research hypothesis and questions were tested using the Mann Whitney-U Test Analysis and Analysis of Variance ANOVA to compare differences between the Suburban neighborhood group and the Central neighborhood group. The findings show that households in the Central neighborhood group tend to live closer to convenient transportation options and don't have to drive/travel far to obtain basic services like hospitals, grocery stores, and places of work, but they pay higher housing rentage even when the transport externalities are minimal while the Suburban neighborhood group spend an average of more than 34.7% of their income on transportation and tend to travel farther and lack access to good transportation alternatives. However, one of the recommendations is that waterways transportation around the Suburban group must be revamped with realistic fares to attract people and reduce stress on road transport.

The Blackout in Stepford and the Shadow of Southern Horror

Abstract: In this essay, I reconsider Ira Levin’s 1972 novel The Step-ford Wives and place it in dialogue with its filmic adaptations, to reflect on how much the films based on Levin’s novel foreclose and marginalize black representation and embodiment that had been centered in the novel. I argue that shifts from the novel The Step-ford Wives to the first film, released in 1975 and directed by Bryan Forbes, erase the black female subjectivity that centrally shapes the novel. Similarly, by implication in the 2004 film The Stepford Wives directed by Frank Oz, blackness is associated with a decaying urban landscape and scapegoated as the corrupting force that would prevent the actualization of an ideal or peaceful home in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood, where escape from blackness and the pathologies associated with it, including crime, are idealized. Black people are the community’s hidden and unspoken fear, a fear that looms (ironically even more than the literal horrors carried out in the town among its white citizenry), linked to auras of blackness classically illustrated within gothic writing. Toni Morrison has famously discussed the Africanist presence that inflects early canonical American literature, even when black bodies are absent and black characters do not materialize within gothic narratives.

Retrofitting urban areas with wood: the origin of new projects in an emerging business ecosystem

Nurturing a low-carbon residential building stock requires businesses to create new solutions for markets. Wood material-based retrofits would be one solution but have remained rare in the urban context. Our study explores the structure and dynamics of an emerging business ecosystem (BE) of wooden retrofits in Finland. We study wooden retrofit projects, from the perspective of the initial steps of local-level development. By applying the concepts of BE and dynamic capabilities, we aim to shed light on the role of actors and their early-stage decision-making and use actor mapping and qualitative analysis of 27 thematic interviews with retrofit businesses and municipal actors. Results show that project initiation has relied on individual champions seizing opportunities as a main base in building dynamic capabilities. Builders and customers are key actors of wooden retrofit projects in local BEs in Finland. The identified actors are further involved with future plans for wooden retrofits, some with ambitious deep renovation with wood. Motivations for projects are driven from urban densification strategies, improvement of suburban neighborhood attractiveness and from the efficiency of space utilization. Results further elaborate a certain degree of difficulty in the early-stage decision-making. This study contributes to the scientific knowledge of both the BE and the dynamic capability perspective by exploring a path to material-driven sustainable construction in the Finnish context. We provide new information on this emerging retrofit construction business with potentially significant international implications if scaled up more widely.