By Jim Erickson | Michigan News | August 10, 2020 The extent of Southeast Michigan’s tree canopy and its urban sprawl both increased between 1985 and 2015, according to a new University of Michigan study that used aerial photos and satellite images to map individual buildings and small patches of street trees. The researchers […]
By Andrea Thompson in Scientific American This article was originally published with the title “Gas Houses” in Scientific American 323, 5, 20 (November 2020) doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1120-20 If U.S. home energy consumption were a country, it would rank as the world’s sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter. To bring housing emissions in line with international goals to […]
This two-page journal brief shares findings from a study that documents and considers the implications of informal footpaths, also known as desire lines, in the Lower Eastside area of Detroit. Using mixed methods—including remote sensing (using Google Earth), physical audits, network and spatial analysis, and qualitative interviews—the study physically maps informal footpaths, documents their change […]
Application DEADLINE: February 15, 2019 Projected START DATE: April 1, 2019 School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan The Urban Sustainability Research Group led by Assoc. Prof. Joshua Newell seeks applications for a Data Scientist/ Specialist, beginning April 2019. The successful applicant will perform data analysis and computer programming in support of current and […]
The Urban Sustainability Research Group is seeking two enthusiastic MS students to help us map the supply chains that connect urban dwellers to ports, factories, mines, forests, farms and other production sites around the globe. The project work involves performing online research to identify and vet potential data sources, and then exploring these data to […]
Ecosystem services are the social and ecological benefits that are provided to humans by the natural environment. Where should cities strategically locate green infrastructure (GI) to address the needs of areas with specific ecosystem service provision deficits? Where should GI be located so that it addresses multiple ecosystem service provision deficits at once? City-wide spatial […]
Josh Newell Comments on Re-imagining Infrastructure on Michigan Radio. Cities across the United States and internationally are designing creative new uses for underutilized infrastructure, creating attractive green spaces for citizens to enjoy. However, these transformations also create risks of environmental gentrification through increasing nearby property values and displacing current residents. City officials and communities should […]
Sara Meerow, doctoral candidate in the Urban Sustainability Research Group, has accepted a Tenure Track Assistant Professor position for the Fall of 2017 in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. Congratulations and we think ASU is a great place for her to continue her work on Green Infrastructure, Urban […]
A new paper by Sara Meerow and Joshua Newell in Landscape and Urban Planning introduces the Green Infrastructure Spatial Planning Model (GISP), a GIS-based multicriteria approach that integrates six benefits of green infrastructure and allows for the consideration of stakeholder priorities. The model is applied to Detroit, revealing that current green infrastructure projects are not […]
Sara Meerow and Alec Foster are co-organizing a group of paper sessions at this year’s American Association of Geographer’s Conference, April 5-9 2017, Boston, MA. Joshua Newell is serving as a discussant. Reweaving the Urban Socio-ecological Fabric: Green infrastructure, urban agriculture, and social justice Organizers Sara Meerow, University of Michigan Alec Foster, University of Michigan […]