The objective this project is to develop an interactive online 3D visualization system specifically designed to engage a wide spectrum of stakeholders in our region for future city planning. This project is a partnership between the City of Raleigh and the Center for Geospatial Analytics aimed at creating a tool that can change the way citizens interact with city government, regarding important development decisions that affect them. With this prototype application, users can easily add new buildings, modify dimensions and move existing buildings, and even test out different blends of residential, retail, and office spaces within buildings, by adjusting the number of floors dedicated to each of these space uses, which is particularly important for visualizing mixed-use developments. The user can also get immediate feedback about square area, volume, and shadows to compare their "what-if" development scenarios with current conditions on fly.

This study examined how tree density (number of trees) and enclosure (the number of enclosed segments of a square shaped boundary) achieved through vegetation/tree arrangement affect individuals' perceptions of restoration. We utilized manipulated representations of urban green space displayed to research subjects through immersive virtual environments (IVE) via a head mounted display device (HMD). 360-degree digital imagery, captured from two local sites in Raleigh, were manipulated to create a set of 18 settings that varied in degree of tree density and boundary arrangement. Ninety undergraduate students were randomly assigned to three experimental groups representing three tree densities. Each experimental group then experienced six IVEs; three vegetation boundary arrangement levels by two setting types (urban plaza and urban park). A modified version of Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) (Hartig et al. 1997) was used to measure restorativeness components (being away, fascination, and coherence). Each participant experienced each IVE for 40 seconds, and then using joystick controller rated their agreement with 6 statements randomly projected on a head mounted display device on a 7-point rating scale. The analysis indicates judgments for restoration potential is significantly influenced by vegetation boundary arrangement. The results also reveal interacting role of setting (urban, park) in relationships between arrangement and restoration likelihood. As cities are becoming increasingly densified, understanding how to enhance the positive outcome of the limited green space can be of critical importance.

Tabrizian, P., Baran, P.K., Smith, W.R., Meentemeyer, R.K., (2018). Exploring perceived restoration potential of urban green enclosure through immersive virtual environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 55, 99-109.

Spatial configuration and physical characteristics of landscape features can strongly influence perceptions of fear and danger. This study examined how situational characteristics, particularly spatial enclosure shaped by surrounding vegetation, are related to perception of safety in a park setting. Study stimuli involved eight 360° immersive virtual environments (IVE) representing low, medium, and high spatial enclosure situations based on the degree of visual and locomotive permeability shaped by the physical arrangement of vegetation. The study site for this research is Fred Fletcher Park in Raleigh, NC. Forty-eight students experienced the IVEs wearing a head mounted display device and then indicated on a 5-point scale how safe they would feel walking alone in that location during the day. Immediately after rating each IVE, participants indicated the main reasons they would feel either safe or unsafe in that particular location. Analysis results indicated that subjects perceived high enclosure environments as significantly less safe than medium and low enclosure environments. In addition to enclosure formed by vegetation, attributes that contributed to perception of safety were presence of non-threatening people and paths. Results indicated that gender differences in perceived safety were significant for the high and medium enclosed environments only. Study findings would allow urban planners and park managers to better understand how the spatial characteristics of existing or planned urban green space are likely to influence perceived safety and consequently use patterns and the attainment of social and psychological benefits provided by urban parks. Such an understanding can help generate evidence based guidelines for improving safety while preserving desired aesthetic and ecological properties of the landscape.

Baran, P. K., Tabrizian, P., Zhai, Y., Smith, J. W., & Floyd, M. F. (2018). An exploratory study of perceived safety in a neighborhood park using immersive virtual environments. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 35, 72-81.

The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council identified public health impacts of urban forests as a research priority. Two of the ten leading public health challenges in the United States are physical inactivity and obesity. Studies of the built environment show that community design and urban form shape opportunities for physical activity. This study examined the potential for urban forests to promote physical activity and health. The multidisciplinary research team compiled and integrated national epidemiologic and health surveillance data (Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey) with data from National Land Cover Database to examine relationships among urban forest characteristics and physical activity and obesity. Landscape fragmentation metrics were calculated to represent urban forest characteristics. One level of analysis examined these relationships between metropolitan statistical areas with population 1 million and above. A second level of analysis focused on counties from these MSA. A third analysis used land-cover data measured at three different resolutions (3-meter, 10-meter, and 30-meter) to determine if spatial resolution affects relationships between land-cover and health. An important implication of this study is that characteristics of urban forests can play a role in public health.

This study examined physical activity and park use in relation to individual characteristics, park attributes, and neighborhood social (safety and poverty) and urban form (pedestrian infrastructure and street network pattern) characteristics among youth and adult subpopulations defined by age and gender. We utilized System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) to objectively measure park use and physical activity in 20 neighborhood parks in Durham, NC. In addition, we employed Geographic Information Systems to objec­tively measure park and neighborhood characteristics in study parks. Regression models showed differences in environmental features of park zones accounted for variation in children’s activity levels rather than neighborhood characteristics. Children’s physical activity was negatively associated with gender, presence of a parent, presence of non-parental adult, and an interaction term for 0-5 age group and style of play. Positive associations were observed for presence of other active children, courts (e.g., basketball), and an interaction between number of recreation facilities and formal activities. Heterogeneous negative binomial regression models indicated that the relationship between park use and types of activity settings, and park use and neighborhood attributes vary by age and gender. In general, the study found that park and activity setting size; activity settings such as playgrounds, basketball courts, pool and water features, shelters, and picnic areas; and availability of sidewalks and intersections in the park’s neighborhood were positively associated with park use, whereas crime, poverty, and racial heterogeneity of the surrounding neighborhood were negatively associated with park use.

Baran, P. K., Smith, W. R., Moore, R. C., Floyd, M. F., Bocarro, J. N., Cosco, N. G. & Danninger, T. M. (2013). Park use among youth and adults: Examination of individual, social, and urban form factors. Environment and Behavior, 46(6), 768-800.

Floyd, M.F., Bocarro, J., Smith, W.R., Baran, P., Moore, R.C., Cosco, N., Edwards, M., Suau, L., & Fang, K. (2011). Park-based physical activity among children and adolescents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 41(3), 258-265.

Bocarro, J. N., Floyd, M. F., Moore, R., Baran, P., Danninger, T., Smith, W. & Cosco, N. (2009). Adaptation of the system for observing physical activity and recreation in communities (SOPARC) to assess age groupings of children. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 6(6), 699-707.

In 2005, together with a number of experts and academics from the Istanbul Technical University and other institutions, the authors were invited by the Istanbul Metropolitan Planning and Design Center (IMP) to assist in preparing the 2020 Strategic Plan of Istanbul. The authors were specificaly asked to carry out surveys dealing with the physical conditions of housing and residential areas and the overall Quality of Urban Life (QOL) in the Istanbul Metropolitan Area. The overall aim of the study was to produce information about the households and housing environments, including residents’ perceptions of their neighborhoods and the city, to be used in preparing the Strategic Plan. The measures of overall QOL domains include three place domains – the house, the neighborhood, and the community. In addition, residents’ subjective assessments of selected aspects of urban living, including transportation, recreational facilities, such as parks, schools, and security were examined.

Baran, P. K., Smith, W. R., Turkoglu, H. D., Marans, R. W. & Bolen, F. (2009). Walking behavior in Istanbul: Individual attributes, neighborhood context and perceived safety. A/Z ITU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, Special Issue: Dossier - Quality of Urban Life, 6(1), 21-40.