Sustainability

Engaging the International Community: Research on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Applications to Improve Environmental Performance

Shladover, Steven
Barth, Matthew J
Zhang, Wei-Bin
2011

This project was proposed to build on the exposure that the authors of this report have had during the past two years to the thinking of the Japanese and European thought leaders about how Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) can contribute toward meeting environmental goals, especially for reducing CO2.

Longitudinal Model Development For Automated Roadway Vehicles

Mcmahon, Donn H.
Hedrick, J. K.
1990

In today’s society minimizing the use of the roadways is becoming an issue of increasing concern.Many major cities in the US are plagued with such problems as traftic congestion, poor air quality, andsafety problems. To solve these problems research throughout the world is being conducted on the use ofautomated roadways.Currently in the state of California research is being conducted involving several major institutionsas to the feasibility of the automated roadway. The Program on Advanced Technology for the Highway,PATH, aims to increase the capacity of the most used highways, to decrease...

The Spatio-Temporal Clustering of Green Buildings in the United States

Kaza, N
Lester, TW
Rodriguez, DA
2013

This paper explores the spatial and temporal patterns of green building in the commercial and institutional sectors in the US. While these buildings are becoming more commonplace, they have yet to reach a critical mass to affect the entire construction industry. Given the potential for green building practices to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, the paper seeks to understand the geography of green building. Using multiple metrics, it explains the patterning of geography of LEED and Energy Star certified buildings in the US. Strong evidence is found of clustering at the...

Objective Correlates and Determinants of Bicycle Commuting Propensity in an Urban Environment

Cole-Hunter, T
Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Curto, A
Ambros, A
Valentín, A
Garcia-Aymerich, J
Martinez, D
Braun, L
Mendez, M
Jerrett, M
Rodriguez, D
Nazelle, A De
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2015
Bicycle use for commuting is being encouraged not only to address physical inactivity, but also vehicular congestion, air pollution and climate change. The current study aimed to ascertain the urban environmental correlates and determinants of bicycle use for commuting (bicycle commuting) among the working or studying population in Barcelona, Spain. Adults (n = 769; 52% females) recruited whilst commuting within Barcelona (Spain) responded to a comprehensive telephone survey concerning their travel behaviour. Based upon...

Control of Heavy-Duty Trucks: Environmental and Fuel Economy Considerations

Zhang, Jianlong
Ioannou, Petros
2004

In this project we investigate the effect of heavy-duty trucks, equipped with different Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems, on the environment and traffic flow characteristics. The sluggish dynamics of trucks whether manual or ACC that is due to their limited acceleration capabilities filter speed disturbances caused by leading vehicles and lead to beneficial effects on the environment and traffic flow characteristics. This response however may lead to higher travel times in certain situations as well as invite cut-ins from neighboring lanes causing additional disturbances. A new ACC...

Short-Term Planning and Policy Interventions to Promote Cycling in Urban Centers: Findings from a Commute Mode Choice Analysis in Barcelona, Spain

Braun, L
Rodriguez, D
Cole-Hunter, T
Ambros, A
Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Jerrett, M
Mendez, M
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
Nazelle, A De
2026
Cycling for transportation has become an increasingly important component of strategies to address public health, climate change, and air quality concerns in urban centers. Within this context, planners and policy makers would benefit from an improved understanding of available interventions and their relative effectiveness for cycling promotion. We examined predictors of bicycle commuting that are relevant to planning and policy intervention, particularly those amenable to short- and medium-term action. We estimated a travel mode choice model using data from a...

Greenness and Education Inequalities in Life Expectancy in Latin American Cities: An Ecological Study

Moran, M
Bilal, U
Dronova, I
Ju, Y
Gouveia, N
Caiaffa, W
Friche, A
Moore, K
Miranda, J
Rodriguez, D
2021
Greenness has been found to be associated with reduced mortality and morbidity and improved wellbeing, with recent evidence further linking it to narrower health inequalities. However, results come mostly from high-income countries and thus might not be generalisable to other settings. In this preliminary analysis, we address this gap by examining whether education inequalities in life expectancy in Latin American cities vary by area-level greenness.We used data from the Salud Urbana en America Latina (SALURBAL) study. The analysis sample included 28 large cities in nine Latin American...

Transit Oriented Development: An Appraisal of Trends and Opportunities for Latin America

Rodriguez, Daniel
2021

In recent years, Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is increasingly accepted due to its great potential for leading cities towards more sustainable futures. This f ruitful coordination between a city’s investments in mass transit and its land development strategy has enabled better accessibility, increased walkability and mixed land use around transit areas. This technical note reviews TOD at several scales in order to comprehend the trends, opportunities and challenges for its development and implementation, with a focus on yielding lessons for Latin America. First, the document discusses...

Desarrollo Orientado al Transporte: Una Evaluación de Tendencias y Oportunidades para América Latina

Rodríguez, D
Duran-Ortiz, M
Hobbs, J
Rojas, F
Hudson, A
2021

En los últimos años, el Desarrollo Orientado al Transporte (DOT) ha incrementado su aceptación debido a su gran potencial para guiar ciudades hacia futuros más sostenibles. Esta fructífera coordinación entre las inversiones de una ciudad en transporte público y su estrategia de desarrollo del suelo ha permitido una mejor accesibilidad, una mayor capacidad de caminabilidad y un uso mixto del suelo alrededor de las áreas de transporte. Esta nota técnica revisa el DOT en varias escalas para comprender las tendencias, oportunidades y desafíos para su desarrollo e implementación, con un enfoque...

Extreme Temperatures and Mortality in 326 Latin American Cities

Kephart, JL
Sánchez, BN
Moore, K
Schinasi, LH
Bakhtsiyarava, M
Ju, Y
Gouveia, N
Caiaffa, WT
Dronova, I
Arunachalam, S
Roux, AV Diez
Rodriguez, D
2021

Climate change and urbanization are rapidly increasing human exposure to extreme ambient temperatures, yet few studies have examined the impact of temperature on mortality across Latin America, where 80% of residents live in urban areas. Methods We used distributed lag nonlinear conditional Poisson models to estimate city-specific associations between daily temperatures above (“heat”) and below (“cold”) each city-specific minimum mortality temperature and all-cause mortality, overall and stratified by age and cause of death. We estimated the percentage of total deaths attributable to heat...