Research Projects

1. Environmental Equity and Justice

Investigating the potential of smart city technologies to mitigate environmental inequalities and resource access disparities, with an emphasis on developing equitable and inclusive urban resilience strategies.

Image from 1935 map of Austin, Texas, with redline demarcations

Historical Redlining and Its Impact on Disaster Resilience

A Spatial Analysis Using FEMA's National Risk Index
Examining the influence of redlining on contemporary urban vulnerability and resilience to natural hazards.

Image from Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times

Heat Vulnerability in Underserved Communities

Studying the heightened exposure of low-income and minority communities to extreme heat and the role of urban design in mitigating these effects.

Image Credit: Kijin Seong, 2019, Natural Hazards Center.

Disaster Risk and Recovery Disparities

Analyzing variations in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery across socio-economic and racial groups.

2. Urban Environmental Health

Investigating the intersection of urban planning, public health, and smart technologies to enhance the well-being of urban populations, particularly in mitigating the effects of pollution, heat, fire, and other environmental stressors.

Image from Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News.

Public Health Impacts of Extreme Heat Events

Assessing how prolonged heatwaves affect vulnerable populations, with a focus on cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, and non-severe cases.

Image from Provident (https://www.providentins.com/).

Heat-Related Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Demand

Exploring spatiotemporal patterns of EMS calls related to heat emergencies and their relationship to environmental factors.

Image from Dept. of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate.

Urban Fire Risk and Vulnerability

Evaluating the risk of fire in densely populated urban areas and the deployment of smart technologies for early detection and mitigation.

3. Urban Data Science and Resilience Analytics

Utilizing advanced data science techniques, including AI and machine learning, to model and optimize urban resilience systems, focusing on real-time data collection, analysis, and decision-making for enhancing the resilience of smart cities.

Image from Needham Community Council (https://needhamcouncil.org/food-pantry/)

GeoAI for Food Security Monitoring and Risk Prediction

Applying GeoAI to map and predict unhealthy food access, areas with limited access to nutritious food, and food distribution gaps.

Image from Mitchell Stevenson. Urban Information Lab

Digital Twin for Smart City Resilience

Developing and applying digital twin technologies to simulate urban environments and enhance decision-making in fire risk management.

Image from Earth Economics (https://www.eartheconomics.org/uhi)

Topic and Sentiment Analysis on Extreme Heat Events

Analyzing social media data to understand sentiments around extreme heat events.

Image from Kijin Seong (https://doi.org/10.1177/08854122231199)

Systematic Review of Smart City Frameworks for Disaster Resilience

Conducting a comprehensive review of how smart city infrastructures improve disaster resilience, with a focus on identifying best practices and knowledge gaps.