Exploring Park Quality in Urban Setting with Environmental Justice, Alternative Measurements, and Social Interaction

With rapid urbanization, urban green resources, such as parks have become important assets for quality of life in urban settings. Parks provide urban residents with both physical and psychological health benefits through various mechanisms such as physical activity and social interaction. Quality is an important non-spatial dimension of urban parks and has started to gain attention among researchers. To better understand park quality in an urban setting, additional knowledge should be explored. This dissertation studies the quality of urban parks from three different perspectives: 1) the equal distribution of park quality resources and its relationship to environmental justice issues, 2) the protocols used for measuring the most commonly acknowledged non-spatial dimensions of urban parks, and 3) the association between park quality and social interaction in urban parks. This study explores park quality from those three different perspectives and presents findings in a 3-part dissertation. The first part determines whether the distribution of park quality was spatially autocorrelated and assessed the associations between separate park features qualities, overall park quality, and multiple indicators of environmental justice issues via a case study in Cache County, Utah; The second part of this study conducts a systematic study to analyze and synthesize the different developed approaches used for assessing non-spatial dimensions of urban parks including park quality and draws implications for future urban landscape planning, design, and research; The third part uses a case study in Logan and North Logan, Utah, and explores the associations between park quality and people’s social interaction in urban parks through an innovatively systematic observational protocol

A Comparison of Park Access with Park Need for Children: Case Study in Cache County, Utah

Childhood obesity is one of the nation’s most serious health problems. There are growing efforts to prevent childhood obesity by improving opportunities for physical activity in their communities. The outdoor settings of the built environment, such as parks and open spaces, can offer children opportunities for physical activities, experience with nature, and social interaction, which contribute to children’s physical and psychological health. However, children’s physical access to parks is often inequitable. Simultaneously, the quality of parks also varies. These disparities caused the inequitable distribution of health-promoting features of built environment among disadvantaged groups who may not have access to other resources. While most previous studies focused on physical park distribution inequities, the purpose of this study is to explore park access by both park physical proximity and quality related to children’s (5 to 17 years old) potential need for parks. This study employs case study methods to explore these relationships across Cache County, Utah. Park proximity is identified by GIS network analysis methods to determine park service areas for all the 77 census block groups in Cache County. Both overall park quality and five separate park feature qualities (facilities, amenities, aesthetic feature, cleanliness and maintenance, and incivility) are measured using the PARK tool (Parks, Activity, and Recreation among Kids). The measure of children’s potential park need is an index created according to the following contributing factors; the population density of children, total population density, racial minority density, population percentage whose income falls below the federal poverty line, population percentage of unemployment, population percentage of low-education, percentage of renter-occupied housing, and yard size. Comparison between the measures is both graphical (spatial) and statistical (correlational). The graphical analysis identifies spatial gaps between the measures. The statistical analysis, using multiple linear regression, assesses the extent that the park location and quality distribution is correlated with children’s potential park need in the setting. Proposed parks are added in the graphically identified spatial gaps, the effect of which is statistically analyzed to see whether children’s park needs can be better met in the study area. This study can be a model for examining park access and park need among children to ultimately improve opportunities for physical activity and reduce the rate of obesity among the population

Extension-Based Community Engagement Project Contributions to Landscape Architecture Core Competencies and Professional Values

This study evaluates the contribution of Extension-based community engagement design projects to the development of core technical competencies and professional values in the landscape architecture program at Utah State University. Many university design programs--including landscape architecture--employ community engagement to address local and regional design dilemmas. Programs within traditional agriculture schools often frame these activities as contributory to their institutions\u27 land-grant missions. Engaged scholarship is well enumerated within the literature of landscape architecture. However, little has been published on how Extension facilitates these engagements or its contribution to the development of core competencies and professional values. Utah State University\u27s (USU) landscape architecture program alumni and students were surveyed to determine their perceptions of Extension-based design projects\u27 contribution to the development of core competencies and professional values. Results revealed projects contribute to the development of core technical competencies including software skills, problem-solving, as well as acculturation of professional values and interpersonal skills such as collaboration, empathy, and leadership. As land-grant design programs assess the value of Extension-based community engagement projects, this study illuminates benefits for developing core competencies and professional values in the next generation of design practitioners

First-/last-mile experience matters: The influence of the built environment on satisfaction and loyalty among public transit riders

Public transit authorities have enhanced the travel experience to promote ridership and customer loyalty. Previous studies about satisfaction and loyalty of transit riders, however, give less attention to out-of-vehicle environments such as walking/biking routes, transfer comfort, and traffic and crime safety conditions. The first-mile and last-mile problem—distance traveled before and after using transit—is a well-known barrier of transit use, but an empirical study about how people experience it is lacking. Thus, this study aims to explore how transit riders experience out-of-vehicle environments—access, transfer, and egress—and how their experience is related to overall satisfaction and loyalty to transit service. We conducted a questionnaire survey of people (n = 445) living in areas served by the Utah Transit Authority and analyzed the responses through an Importance-Satisfaction analysis and a path analysis, a type of structural equation modeling. A descriptive analysis demonstrates complex first-mile travel patterns: driving is the most common mode to start a transit-involved trip (68.5%), and one-third of transit riders transfer more than once before riding on a transit (e.g., driving → walking → transit). Results from the Importance-Satisfaction analysis highlight both traffic and crime safety concerns at transit stops and walking routes as a critical out-of-vehicle element most in need of improvement. A path analysis result confirms that out-of-vehicle environments—in particular, safety and transfer experience—influence customer satisfaction and loyalty more than in-vehicle and system-related factors do. This paper concludes with practical suggestions for multiple agencies (e.g., public transit, transportation, and urban planning), including urban design strategies, land use-transit integration, and multi-modal integration

Benefits and Conflicts: A Systematic Review of Dog Park Design and Management Strategies

Dog ownership and dog walking brings various health benefits for urban dwellers, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, but trigger a number of controversies. Dog parks have become increasingly significant public resources in the pandemic to support these benefits while facing intense conflicts. To develop effective dog parks in urban settings, growing numbers of scholars have provided insights into the design and management strategies for addressing the benefits and conflicts. The objective of this study is to synthesize and analyze various aspects of dog park design and management and to assess identified strategies for enhancing their benefits while mitigating their drawbacks. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic study was conducted to synthesize the benefits, conflicts, and management strategies of dog parks, supported by Citespace. Benefits and conflicts in dog park design and management have been synthesized and organized according to their frequency of presence and the statistical results. We analyzed and assessed existing design and management strategies. Through this systematic study, we discovered the need obtain o po experimental evidence on effective dog park design and management to enhance their benefits while mitigating their sources of conflict and limitations in the intensity of park visitors’ physical activity in off-leash areas. Guidelines for the design and management strategies for effective dog parks were made to enhance their benefits while alleviating conflicts in the future development of sustainable dog parks that promote healthy relationships between canines and residents in urban built environments

Environmental Justice and Park Quality in an Intermountain West Gateway Community: Assessing the Spatial Autocorrelation

Context Research on environmental justice issues, particularly unequal park distribution and quality, has found that communities\u27 minority density and socioeconomic status (SES) are often correlated with disparate park qualities. However, most studies of spatial relationships between park quality and socioeconomic factors employ simple statistical analyses, which do not account for potential spatial autocorrelations and their effects on validity. Objectives This study determines whether the distribution of park quality is spatially autocorrelated and assess the associations among multiple indicators of environmental justice and both separate park features and overall park quality. Methods This study evaluates spatial relationships between park quality and multiple environmental justice indicators in Cache County, Utah following the spatial regression process conducted in R programming language. Both overall park quality and separate feature qualities were audited by the PARK (Parks, Activity, and Recreation among Kids) tool. Environmental justice indicators included minority density, poverty, unemployment, low-education, renter rate, and yard size. Rate Resuts illustrate a spatial autocorrelation existing in park quality distribution, detecting the dependence of the variable for quantitative research. They also show significant correlations between park quality and environmental justice indicators. Conclusions The study\u27s spatial regression model is a model for analyzing the spatial data and avoids the autocorrelation which is overlooked by the normal statistical approaches. Also, variances of park quality can be accounted for by different environmental justice indicators, such as minority density, poverty, and yard size. This disclosure of disparate public resource quality treatment among different groups of individuals could inspire policy makers and city planners to correct these disparities

Improving the ecological benefits evaluation on urban street trees: Development of a living vegetation volume quantifying framework with multi-source data

The rate of urbanization is increasing, and solutions to the pollution issue are desperately needed. Urban street trees are an essential factor in improving the environmental quality of cities. Quantifying precise ecological benefits of individual trees is important for monitoring urban ecology. However, since street tree surveys are time-consuming and expensive, it is challenging to assess the ecological benefits of street trees. Besides, there is still a need for more investigation into the advantages of multi-source data for ecological benefits estimates. Effective living vegetation volume (eLVV) as an urban green space indicator is beneficial for providing the vertical structure of street trees and offering a possibility for estimating the ecological benefits. The objective of this study is to evaluate the accurate ecological benefits of street trees by calculating eLVV. We developed and validated a framework for evaluating the ecological benefits of urban vegetation using point cloud and image processing techniques. Terrestrial laser scanning and unmanned aerial vehicle data were used to predict indicators at the single tree scale and road scale. Models based on game theory were applied to score all the indicators and assess the ecological benefits. The results showed that: (1) The proposed framework demonstrated that multi-source data allowed for the exact indicators of ecological benefits. (2) The eLVV of the street trees on two roads was less on the north side than on the south side, reflecting the difference in the ecology of the street trees in terms of orientation. This paper explores the advantages of multi-source data in measuring detailed ecological benefits, which support the digital management of street trees and the sustainability of regional ecology

Scalable Production of Boron Quantum Dots for Broadband Ultrafast Nonlinear Optical Performance

A simple and effective approach based on the liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) method has been put forward for synthesizing boron quantum dots (BQDs). By adjusting the interactions between bulk boron and various solvents, the average diameter of produced BQDs is about 7 nm. The nonlinear absorption (NLA) responses of as-prepared BQDs have been systematically studied at 515 nm and 1030 nm. Experimental results prove that BQDs possess broadband saturable absorption (SA) and good third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility, which are comparable to graphene. The fast relaxation time and slow relaxation time of BQDs at 515 nm and 1030 nm are about 0.394–5.34 ps and 4.45–115 ps, respectively. The significant ultrafast nonlinear optical properties can be used in optical devices. Here, we successfully demonstrate all-optical diode application based on BQDs/ReS2 tandem structure. The findings are essential for understanding the nonlinear optical properties in BQDs and open a new pathway for their applications in optical devices

Finite element analysis of intramedullary nailing and double locking plate for treating extra-articular proximal tibial fractures

Abstract Background Proximal tibia fractures are one of the most familiar fractures. Surgical approaches are usually needed for anatomical reduction. However, no single treatment method has been widely established as the standard care. Our present study aims to compare the stress and stability of intramedullary nails (IMN) fixation and double locking plate (DLP) fixation in the treatment of extra-articular proximal tibial fractures. Methods A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model of the extra-articular proximal tibial fracture, whose 2-cm bone gap began 7 cm from the tibial plateau articular surface, was created fixed by different fixation implants. The axial compressive load on an adult knee during single-limb stance was imitated by an axial force of 2500 N with a distribution of 60% to the medial compartment, while the distal end was fixed effectively. The equivalent von Mises stress and displacement of the model was used as the output measures for analysis. Results The maximal equivalent von Mises stress value of the system in the IMN model was 293.23 MPa, which was higher comparing against that in the DLP fixation model (147.04 MPa). And the mean stress of the model in the IMN model (9.25 MPa) was higher than that of the DLP fixation system in terms of equivalent von Mises stress (EVMS) (P < 0.0001). The maximal value of displacement (sum) in the IMN system was 8.82 mm, which was lower than that in the DLP fixation system (9.48 mm). Conclusions This study demonstrated that the stability provided by the locking plate fixation system was superior to the intramedullary nails fixation system and served as an alternative fixation for the extra-articular proximal tibial fractures of young patients

Ridge-furrow planting with black film mulching increases rainfed summer maize production by improving resources utilization on the Loess Plateau of China

Soil mulching has been widely used to improve crop productivity around the world, but how various mulching practices affect soil hydrothermal conditions, water-temperature-radiation utilization and finally grain yield of rainfed maize has been poorly understood. A two-season field experiment was conducted on rainfed summer maize in 2021 and 2022 on the Loess Plateau of China, with six soil mulching practices: flat planting with non-mulching (FPNM), flat planting with full straw mulching (FPSM), flat planting with full black film mulching (FPBF), flat planting with full transparent film mulching (FPTF), ridge-furrow planting with black film mulching on the ridge (RFBF) and ridge-furrow planting with transparent film mulching on the ridge (RFTF). The results showed that compared with the traditional FPNM, the five mulching treatments (FPSM, FPBF, FPTF, RFBF and RFTF) greatly regulated root-zone soil hydrothermal conditions and resulted in obvious soil drying-wetting alternation, which significantly changed the daytime average root-zone soil temperature in the 0 – 25 cm soil layer (by − 1.1 ℃, − 1.9 ℃, + 2.7 ℃, − 1.6℃ and + 0.8 ℃, respectively) and significantly reduced crop evapotranspiration. The five mulching treatments promoted the root growth, leaf area index and canopy light interception rate due to the improved soil water and/or temperature conditions. The structural equation modeling indicated that soil hydrothermal condition and water-temperature-radiation use efficiency could directly or indirectly explain 98% of the grain yield variation under various soil mulching practices; radiation use efficiency (RUE) determined maize production in the water-sufficient year (2021), whereas maize production was mainly determined by crop water productivity (WP) in the water-limited year (2022). The RFBF increased maize production most, followed by RFTF. Compared with FPNM, RFBF increased leaf area index by 45.4%, canopy light interception rate by 19.1%, aboveground biomass by 68.8%, 1000-grain weight by 15.1%, grain yield by 58.6%, WP by 71.8%, thermal time use efficiency by 64.6% and RUE by 30.5%. In conclusion, RFBF optimized the root-zone soil hydrothermal conditions for root growth, which in turn promoted aboveground growth and water-temperature-radiation use efficiency, and finally improved the gain yield of rainfed summer maize on the Loess Plateau of China. Therefore, RFBF was considered as a promising agricultural practice to improve rain-fed summer maize production and resource utilization efficiency on the Loess Plateau of China