Urban Systems Lab

From Google Engineer to Climate Tech Innovator: How Twinkle Mehta transformed her career through the Google.org Fellowship with USL’s ClimateIQ ???? Twinkle's journey demonstrates how tech professionals can apply their existing skills to climate challenges while driving meaningful change. At ClimateIQ, she helped develop AI-powered climate risk assessment tools that democratize access to vital data for under-resourced communities worldwide. "Your software skills are more valuable to climate action than you might think." Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gmg-E9uz

???????? Breaking New Ground in Air Pollution Research A group of scientists including USL’s Sally El Hajjar have developed a powerful new AI approach that reveals hidden patterns in air pollution data that traditional methods miss. By teaching computers to "look" at pollution from multiple views simultaneously, researchers can now identify distinct pollution zones in cities with unprecedented accuracy. When tested in Luxembourg, the method uncovered four clear pollution patterns - including forest areas with cleaner air and industrial zones with higher pollution. The AI even identified how nearby traffic and land use affect these patterns. What makes this breakthrough special is how it handles the messy, complex nature of real-world environmental data that typically confuses simpler methods. This innovation isn't just academic - it provides valuable insights for urban planners and public health officials working to reduce pollution exposure in communities. By understanding where and why pollution hotspots form, cities can develop more targeted and effective strategies to improve air quality where people live, work, and play. Read now: https://lnkd.in/gjX4zdJZ

At a recent meeting, Madhavi Jain took us on a deep dive into urban heat modeling. ????? Madhavi's presentation outlined her work on urban heat modeling using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model through Climate IQ. The model addresses how cities modify heat through building materials and urban morphology, resolving complex microclimates like cooler parks within hot downtowns. WRF is a sophisticated four-dimensional model that solves nonlinear physics-based differential equations to predict temperatures, operating at 500-meter resolution. Unlike satellite data that only captures land surface temperature, the model provides 2-meter air temperature measurements that better reflect human experience. Madhavi presented three experimental simulations for New York and Phoenix, showing that incorporating urban canopy parameters (UCPs) with detailed building height and footprint data significantly improved temperature predictions. These enhancements allowed the model to detect spatial heterogeneities such as parks in New York and local cool spots in Phoenix. While model validation against airport temperature data showed better performance for Phoenix's dry climate than New York's complex coastal environment, the UCPs approach better resolved microclimates in both cities. The Climate IQ initiative runs simulations for 500 days (five summers) with outputs every three hours, providing data that can be integrated with social vulnerability information to prioritize urban areas for heat mitigation planning. Thank you Madhavi for an engaging presentation! #ClimateRisk #UrbanResilience #HeatModeling

Welcome to the Urban Systems Lab, Arshya Gupta! ??? We're thrilled to have Arshya join our team as a Research Assistant in Game Design for our work on GoGreenNext. A storyteller at heart and coder by craft, she brings her passion for playful interactivity and game development to our climate change education work. Currently completing her senior year in Design & Technology at Parsons School of Design - The New School with a minor in Data Visualization, Arshya will help develop an innovative digital game focused on urban resilience and nature-based solutions. Looking forward to the creative energy and gaming expertise she'll bring to our team! #GameDesign #ClimateAction #TheNewSchool

How do social and ecological factors shape the distribution of trees in our cities? ?? Our recent PhD graduate Filipa Grilo tackled this fundamental question, introducing a novel Socio-Ecological Traits Framework that challenges conventional wisdom about urban forests. Her surprising discovery from studying Lisbon's urban landscape? The highest tree diversity was found in the most urbanized areas! This research transforms our understanding of how social and ecological factors shape urban biodiversity, providing crucial insights for city planners and policymakers. Through her work at the Urban Systems Lab and collaborations with the NATURA network, Filipa's framework is already informing real-world climate adaptation strategies across Portuguese municipalities. Discover how we can transform our urban landscapes from grey deserts into thriving, diverse spaces ?? https://lnkd.in/gCEskbVX #UrbanEcology #Biodiversity #ClimateAction #SmartCities #UrbanPlanning #Sustainability #PhDResearch #UrbanForestry #Cities

??? Join Urban Systems Lab's Timon McPhearson on Monday, Feb. 3, for the annual Anthony J. Brazel Lecture at Arizona State University! Dr. McPhearson will explore Urban Systems, Risk, and Resilience in the Anthropocene in this engaging talk. Don't miss the chance to tune in live on ASU Live: https://lnkd.in/ga7WyczR ?? When: Monday, Feb. 3 ?? Where: Live-streamed on ASU Live Let’s dive into the future of resilient cities together! ???? #UrbanResilience #Sustainability #ASUevents #ResilientCities

How can we use data science to predict air quality and extreme heat impacts in cities? At our recent USL meeting, Senior Research Fellow Rajan Jain shared his innovative work combining geospatial software engineering with environmental monitoring. His projects span from air quality prediction in Phoenix to synthetic infrastructure modeling for urban water systems, showing how automated data pipelines can help cities prepare for climate challenges. Key research themes include: - ML-driven air quality prediction using sensor networks - Synthetic urban infrastructure modeling - Thermal impact analysis using instrumented mannequins Thanks for sharing your work with us, Rajan! #UrbanSystems #EnvironmentalScience #DataScience #ClimateAction #Research #NewSchool

?? Excited to welcome Solenne Shandrow as our new Lang Sustainability Fellow! With her background in political economy and environmental policy, Solenne brings fresh perspectives on impact measurement to our research team.

How can extended reality transform our connection with urban nature? ???? In our latest feature, Shahryar Sarabi from Eindhoven University of Technology explores how immersive technologies could revolutionize community engagement in urban planning. Read how XR tech is reshaping human-nature relationships and making urban planning more inclusive: https://lnkd.in/geKAC3PE #UrbanPlanning #ExtendedReality #XR #NatureBasedSolutions #UrbanNature #CommunityEngagement #SmartCities

?? Job Alert: Game Design Research Assistant at the Urban Systems Lab! Join our team to develop an innovative digital game about climate change & urban resilience. Work with international researchers on an EU-funded project. ?? What we're looking for: - Game design experience - Environmental passion - Design tool knowledge ?? NYC, In-person at 79 Fifth Ave ?? $30.16/hour ? 15-20 hours/week Apply now: https://lnkd.in/gzxbJNmR The New School | Parsons School of Design - The New School | #GameDesign #ClimateAction #UrbanPlanning #JobAlert