IN-PERSON London. Section A
Abstract
The child-friendly city is an ever-growing concept, however, there is limited research on systematic measurements of child-friendly aspects of a city. Visualization of child-friendliness of cities by mapping data and attributes would provide clarity about the complex processes of defining/measuring child-friendly indicators. Cities all over the world have increasingly become child-unfriendly over the last few decades contributing to a dramatic reduction of children’s outdoor time and physical activity, negatively impacting the global health and wellness of city children. In many cities, extreme car dependency, lack of neighborhood walkability, bikeability, and lack of daily access to public open spaces are some of the key reasons for such declines. In other places, rapid urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, economic pressure on land, and poor urban management are responsible for the rapidly diminishing outdoor time and physical activity of city children. This research attempts to examine how different aspects of the built environment, and socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects of cities contribute to child-friendliness (or -unfriendliness) measures and how we can map such data to communicate these concepts meaningfully. Taking advantage of the latest advances in GIS software and the availability of spatial datasets, this research aims to establish a framework for defining, measuring, mapping, and visualizing child-friendly indicators for cities in contrasting contexts. Also, it aims to provide insights into similar mapping approaches for cities where relevant datasets are unavailable. We believe this research will provide a new approach for cities to investigate their child-friendliness based on data rather than on vague interpretations.
Dr. Muntazar Monsur is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Texas Tech. He has a Ph.D. in Design from NC State University. His teaching and research are focused on advancing children’s health, well-being, happiness, and learning by creating environments that support play, interactions, curiosity, and creativity. His notable grants and publications explore the built environment and design’s role in child health and behavioral outcomes. He is also the lead investigator of XR (Extended Reality) Lab; an advanced center for exploring effective XR applications for design and research.
Zakiul Islam holds a Ph.D. from NC State University, USA, and an M. Arch. from UT Austin, USA. Zaki has an international reputation for the design and research of environment and health. He was invited as an expert to the Environment and Physical Activity meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO), in Switzerland. He has worked as an editor and reviewed international journal papers. Zaki has published book chapters and highly cited journal papers. An accomplished researcher with experience working at Natural Learning Initiative, USA, Zaki was the Principal Investigator of Bangladesh for the IPEN Adolescent Study.;
Dr. Modhurima Dey Amin is an Assistant Professor of Applied Econometrics, Statistics, and Data Science at Texas Tech University. Her research area focuses on access to food and nutrition in the United States, with a particular focus on aiding disadvantaged communities. In her academic role, she instructs courses in Statistics, Data Analytics, and Agribusiness Finance. Additionally, Dr. Amin serves as an advisory board member at Innov8Ag, an agricultural tech company that develops farm management solutions driven by artificial intelligence. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics, specializing in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, and an M.S. in Statistics from Washington State University.;
Dr. Syed Badruddoza is an applied economist with a focus on markets and economic policy. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Texas Tech University, he teaches courses in price theory and applied machine learning. Dr. Badruddoza’s prior experience includes working on international development projects at the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development and the World Bank, with a focus on agricultural and rural development in South Asia and Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics, specializing in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, and an M.S. in Statistics from Washington State University.
9:30 am - 11:00 am
Wednesday 26th June, 2024