Four-walled or fourfold? Well-being in gated cities

October 7, 2025

Our study sheds light on the evolving dynamics of the Greater Cairo Region, adding depth to the understanding of whether gated communities act as true remedies or reflections of concrete houses. By incorporating a model based on critical factors for mental health, we offer insights into the nuanced dimensions of well-being in the context of urban development. This research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between city structure and residents’ overall well-being.

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Unlocking food access in rural Jordan: Evaluating land use regulations in Annuaymeh village

October 7, 2025

Through field observations, surveys with the residents, and interviews with decision-maker, we identified key variables that define food access in rural areas in Jordan, mapped access to food services according to the identified variable. and assessed food access in relation to land use regulations. Our work investigated frameworks governing the allocation of food service establishment locations, spatial requirements, integration into city masterplans, equitable distribution of food service types, and pertinent legislative frameworks.

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Co-designing healthy and sustainable cities: what Paris residents teach us about urban environmental health

September 24, 2025

This study introduces a place-based model of urban environmental health drawn from residents’ perspectives.
• Highlights eight interconnected local parameters of environmental health.
• Demonstrates that residents link environmental health to everyday nuisances like noise, air pollution, and lack of safety.
• Shows that viable and livable environments depend on inclusive governance and infrastructure decisions.
• Offers a replicable approach for other cities to assess urban health from the ground up.

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How migration and climate crisis impact the health of migrant populations in Santiago, Chile

September 13, 2025

Using a qualitative approach, we examined health vulnerabilities and community strategies in response to climate crisis conditions, involving 22 residents from the Toma Nuevo Amanecer informal settlement. Primary data was collected through ethnography, a focus group, and semi-structured in-depth interviews. This approach aimed to understand how extreme weather events, such as landslides, heatwaves, floods, fires, and air pollution, impact migrant communities and their coping strategies.

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Cooler kids need greener spaces

July 15, 2025

Heat exposure and greenness influence health and learning outcomes. Satellite images show schools on the Coast have strong heat stress levels and low vegetation; schools in the Andes have the largest solar radiation. Reforming school infrastructure standards is urgently needed in Ecuador. To describe environmental conditions in nine Ecuadorian schools, we analyzed three variables: temperature, vegetation, and solar radiation derived from satellite images that we downloaded from Google Earth Engine. We compared schools across three ecoregions to see differences in range and average values.

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Can child-friendly walkability be improved in a two-wheel traffic-saturated city like Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam?

July 15, 2025

Ho Chi Minh City’s motorbike-dependent traffic, severe congestion from overloaded infrastructure, high accident rates among children and pedestrians, and a doubling of overweight and obesity rates among children over the past decade have driven a comprehensive study on children’s walkability. This study serves as a foundation to encourage more walking among children as an initial step toward addressing these critical issues.

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Understanding playgrounds for inclusive and dynamic urban experiences

July 14, 2025

This study explores how urban playground design can either segregate or integrate children within the broader city fabric. By comparing Venice and Auckland, we illustrate how playgrounds in Venice encourage unstructured exploration, while those in Auckland limit engagement to isolated, structured zones. We propose strategies for urban design that foster inclusive and dynamic public spaces for children.

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