Urban Currents

A Large-Scale Dataset and a New Method for RemoteSensing Traffic Object Segmentation

The researchers created NWPU-Traffic, a large-scale remote sensing dataset featuring instance-level annotations for four vehicle categories (cars, airplanes, ships, and trains) across 49 cities in 7 countries. They established a benchmark using popular segmentation networks and introduced a new segmentation method that utilizes spatial-channel preserving feature interaction alongside an adaptive feature decoder to handle varying object scales.

Why it matters — It provides a highly diverse, multi-country dataset and a specialized model that improves the accuracy of segmenting transport objects across complex, real-world environments, overcoming the category and scene limitations of previous datasets.

arXiv · pdf · code

Dose-response associations between a walkability index and adults' domain-specific walking: A study of 95 cities in Japan

This study analyzed the relationship between a postcode-level walkability index (JPWI) and walking habits using survey data from 40,286 Japanese adults across 95 cities in 2021. The JPWI was calculated using population density, intersection density, and destination counts within a 1000 m road network buffer. The analysis revealed non-linear positive associations for total, leisure, and transport walking, identifying a critical inflection point at a JPWI score of 0.78, above which walking times increased sharply.

Why it matters — It establishes specific, empirical thresholds where built environment improvements actually begin to trigger significant increases in physical activity, moving beyond simple linear assumptions of walkability benefits.

Caveat: The study relies on a cross-sectional design and self-reported walking data from a web-based survey, which limits causal claims.

Cities · doi

The effects of generational differences in travel socialisation on sustainable travel preference and intentions

This study analyzed survey data from 519 Millennial and 870 Generation Z university students in Ghana to examine how childhood and adolescent travel socialization influences current sustainable travel preferences. The analysis reveals distinct cohort pathways: early exposure to household car ownership correlates with stronger preferences for cycling and bus transit among Gen Z, whereas growing up in carless households correlates with stronger intentions to adopt hybrid or electric vehicles among Millennials.

Why it matters — It demonstrates that early-life transport socialization and household car exposure have long-term, cohort-specific effects on adult travel preferences, providing a empirical basis for targeting transport policies and marketing to specific generational segments in rapidly motorizing contexts.

Caveat: The findings are based on a sample of university students in Ghana, which may not represent the broader youth population or other geographic regions.

Cities · pdf · doi

Addressing the missing activity location problem in trip chais: A POI-based probabilistic method using open data

The study develops a Point of Interest (POI)-based time-geography method to estimate the locations of missing intermediate stops within trip chains. The approach combines travel survey data from Eskilstuna, Sweden, with OpenStreetMap network data to reconstruct travel patterns with higher computational efficiency than traditional time-geographic density estimation.

Why it matters — It provides a computationally efficient way to reconstruct incomplete travel surveys, allowing planners to better analyze intermediate activity patterns and mode choices even when spatial data is missing.

Caveat: The method could not be rigorously validated due to data availability constraints, meaning its accuracy remains untested against complete, ground-truth trip chains.

Computers Environment and Urban Systems · doi

Consequential life cycle assessment of nature-based solutions for land restoration in Turin (Italy) and its first-belt municipalities

This study models a large-scale land restoration program covering approximately 200 hectares in Turin, Italy, and its surrounding municipalities using an ex-ante, time-dependent Consequential Life Cycle Assessment. The simulation evaluates a technosol-based nature-based solution involving urban tree and shrub planting over a 15-year deployment phase and a 60-year operational lifetime. The model balances the environmental impacts of material supply, transport, and technosol production against the long-term benefits of carbon sequestration and air pollution removal.

Why it matters — It demonstrates that large-scale urban soil restoration projects carry heavy upfront environmental burdens that delay their net-positive contributions, showing that carbon break-even takes 45 years and air quality benefits take 61 years to materialize.

Caveat: The findings are based on a predictive, ex-ante simulation over a 75-year horizon, which relies on assumptions about long-term marginal material supplies and stable ecosystem service generation.

Urban forestry & urban greening · pdf · doi

Pedestrian Response to Leading Pedestrian Intervals: The Role of Visual and Audible Cues in Start-Up Time and Walking Speed

This study evaluated pedestrian behavior before and after the implementation of a 3-second Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) at seven intersections in Sacramento County. Using observational data, the analysis measured how visual and audible signal configurations affected pedestrian start-up times and walking speeds. The results showed that most pedestrians did not reach the midpoint of the first travel lane until 1 to 2 seconds after the vehicular green light, with audio cues significantly reducing start-up times and countdown signals reducing walking speeds.

Why it matters — It demonstrates that the safety benefits of LPIs are highly dependent on signal configuration, proving that audio cues are necessary to optimize pedestrian reaction times while countdown timers can unexpectedly slow down crossing speeds.

Caveat: The findings are based on a specific 3-second LPI duration across a small sample of seven intersections in a single county, which may not represent pedestrian dynamics under longer intervals or different urban layouts.

Journal of Transportation Engineering Part A Systems · doi

Performance Analysis of Active Prevention and Control Strategy for Driving Risk Before, On, and After Foggy Bridges Considering Crash and Noncrash Conditions

This study evaluated an active prevention and control (APC) strategy combining risk warnings, variable speed limits, and visual guidance using a driving simulator experiment of the E’dong Yangtze River Bridge under 100-meter visibility fog conditions. The experiment compared traditional traffic control with the APC strategy during a simulated emergency stop of a leading vehicle, measuring driver performance across three phases: before, on, and after the bridge. The APC strategy achieved a 100% crash avoidance rate on the bridge, improved driver perception control by up to 191.88% for non-crashing drivers, and facilitated a 47.77% speed recovery rate after exiting the bridge.

Why it matters — It quantifies the safety and psychological benefits of integrated active traffic management on bridges during low-visibility events, proving that coordinated visual and speed interventions can completely eliminate simulated rear-end collisions while smoothing driver deceleration and recovery.

Caveat: The findings are based on a simulated driving environment using a Unity and Logitech G29 setup, which may not fully capture real-world driver stress and physical vehicle dynamics during foggy conditions.

Journal of Transportation Engineering Part A Systems · doi

LLM-Assisted assessment in GIS education: an empirical evaluation of opportunities and risks

This study evaluated the performance of a Large Language Model (LLM) against a human instructor in grading student work across three master-level GIS courses covering programming-based spatial analysis, interpretative GIS, and cartography. Using identical course-specific rubrics, the evaluation compared absolute grades, relative student rankings, grading time, and feedback length. The LLM demonstrated high agreement with the instructor on relative student rankings, graded more strictly on programming tasks, and generated longer, more detailed feedback in a fraction of the manual grading time.

Why it matters — It establishes that LLMs can reliably assist with structured, rubric-driven grading in GIS education, shifting the technology from a suspected source of academic misconduct to a viable tool for reducing instructor grading workloads.

Caveat: The evaluation was limited to three specific master-level courses, and the degree of grading alignment varied significantly depending on the course type.

Journal of Geography in Higher Education · pdf · doi

Regional differences in cultural participation in the United States and Europe

This study analyzes the relationship between a person's region of residence and their cultural participation across five countries representing different cultural policy models: Denmark, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Using national survey data, the researchers measured how regional disparities in cultural activities persist or diminish after controlling for socio-demographic factors.

Why it matters — The findings demonstrate that regional disparities in cultural participation persist strongly in the market-driven and liberal policy environments of the US and UK, whereas they are successfully mitigated in the state-supported cultural policy systems of Denmark, Finland, and France.

International Journal of Cultural Policy · doi

Grounding design in landscape: indigenous knowledge and therapeutic environments for health and wellbeing

This paper explores the integration of Indigenous knowledge systems with landscape architecture to design therapeutic outdoor environments. It examines how traditional ecological practices and cultural connections to land can be systematically incorporated into modern spatial design to support community health and wellbeing.

Why it matters — It establishes a conceptual framework for landscape designers to move beyond purely Western, clinical models of therapeutic space, offering a structured approach to co-designing environments that address cultural displacement and support healing through indigenous land relations.

Caveat: The abstract does not present empirical data, quantitative metrics, or a specific case study evaluation of a built project.

Cities & Health · pdf · doi

Living green, liveable cities: for health and wellbeing, for environmental health, and for social and cultural health

This special issue introduces a collection of research and practice-based papers focused on urban greening strategies to enhance public health, environmental quality, and social wellbeing. It frames 'living green' as an active, ongoing process of integrating nature into urban planning rather than treating vegetation as static infrastructure.

Why it matters — It establishes a multidisciplinary framework that connects ecological restoration directly with social and cultural health, helping planners move from merely adding green spaces to cultivating active, health-promoting urban ecosystems.

Caveat: The provided text is an introductory editorial overview rather than an empirical study with specific quantitative measurements.

Cities & Health · doi

Green infrastructure for urban wellbeing: a technical perspective

This technical perspective synthesizes the role of urban green infrastructure in enhancing human wellbeing, focusing on its ecological, social, and psychological benefits. It outlines design principles and implementation strategies for integrating green spaces into rapidly urbanizing environments.

Why it matters — It establishes a conceptual framework that moves green infrastructure from an aesthetic luxury to a core component of urban health and planning policy.

Cities & Health · doi

Putting research into action using sensory gardens: leveraging health and horticulture through design

This paper presents a framework for translating scientific research on sensory gardens into practical design guidelines for practitioners and decision makers. It synthesizes evidence on how horticultural elements and sensory stimulation can be structured to support human health and well-being.

Why it matters — It bridges the gap between academic findings and landscape design practice, providing a structured approach to turn theoretical health benefits of nature into actionable design decisions.

Caveat: The abstract does not provide specific empirical data, sample sizes, or a concrete case study evaluation for the framework.

Cities & Health · doi

Research for city practice: living green, liveable cities

This article presents a collection of 'City Know-how' briefings designed to translate published research papers into actionable insights for urban health and health equity. It introduces an interactive platform hosted at www.cityknow-how.com to facilitate knowledge transfer among researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and communities.

Why it matters — It establishes a structured translation mechanism and digital platform to bridge the gap between academic research and practical urban health interventions, enabling practitioners to implement evidence-based strategies more rapidly.

Caveat: The document serves as an introductory editorial announcement and portal description rather than an empirical research study with new primary data.

Cities & Health · doi

Assessing Moisture Susceptibility and Long-Term Leaching Behavior of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash–Modified Asphalt Mixtures

This study evaluated the moisture susceptibility, high-temperature rutting, and heavy metal leaching of dense-graded (DG) and gap-graded (GG) asphalt mixtures modified with municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA). The MSWIFA-modified dense-graded mixture achieved a tensile strength ratio of 86% and restricted stiffness loss to between 18% and 21% in dynamic modulus testing, while also reducing rut depths. Leaching tests demonstrated that the asphalt binder conglomerate successfully immobilized heavy metals, keeping overall leaching levels well below regulatory limits.

Why it matters — It demonstrates a viable pathway for recycling hazardous municipal waste incinerator fly ash into road infrastructure, proving that the asphalt binder can safely lock in heavy metals while simultaneously improving the pavement's moisture resistance and structural stiffness.

Caveat: The findings are based on laboratory-scale mechanical and leaching tests rather than long-term field exposure under real-world traffic and weathering conditions.

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board · doi