Land Use and Built Environment

Management of canal networks at the age of information technology. With the miniaturization of sensors and their decreasing costs, the paradigm of instrumentation of the built infrastructure and the environment has now been underway for several years, leading to numerous successful and sometimes spectacular realizations such as the instrumentation of the Golden Gate with wire- less sensors a few years ago. The convergence of communication, control and sensing on numerous platforms including multi-media platforms has enabled engineers to augment physical infrastructure systems with an...

This position article outlines some challenges of demand response in the context of the power grid and its interaction with buildings. We describe significant issues in energy-efficient operation of buildings, in particular questions such as system reliability, risk management and environmental impact. We also outline a strategy for the development of new technologies for a cyber-physical infrastructure system that integrates management of smart buildings with management of the power grid. Specific emphasis is given to the interaction of physical and computational processes through sensing,...

Though researchers have explored the general impacts of mixed use development on physical activity, few have examined which specific land uses should be mixed. This study addresses this gap by examining the influence of the presence, intensity and diversity of land uses on utilitarian walking. Built environment data was related to utilitarian walking for individuals (n=251) in Montgomery County, Maryland. For a variety of land uses including banks, bus stops, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, libraries, rail stations, offices, parks, recreation centers, non-fast food restaurants...

This paper provides the data collection and research results for the Seamless Travel project. The Seamless Travel Project is a research project funded by Caltrans and managed by the University of California Traffic Safety Center, with David Ragland, PhD., as the Principal Investigator and Michael Jones as the Project Manager. The project is funded by Caltrans Division of Innovation and Research and is being conducted by the Traffic Safety Center of University of California Berkeley and Alta Planning + Design.Measuring bicycle and pedestrian activity is a key element to achieving the goals...