Heeding a call

The global COVID-19 pandemic resulted in at least one positive change: a marked increase in street economy. We want to help support future sustainable walking and cycling in many development in a cities around the world, according to the sprawled metropolitan United Nations. area – context that

That’s true here at home, too, as a could serve as a model 2020 North Central Texas Council of for other car-centric Governments study reported a 70% cities.” increase in walking and bicycling on Jeong said U.N. and Dallas-Fort Worth trails. North Central Texas

The University of Texas at Arlington’s Council of Hyesun Jeong is working on a plan to Governments statistics map future “green” infrastructure in ofer insight and an the Dallas-Fort Worth area to support opportunity to tailor Hyesun Jeong is working on this growth in walking and cycling. plans that can promotea plan to map future “green” Funded by the American Institute of walking and bikinginfrastructure in the Dallas-Fort Architects’ Upjohn Research Initiative, across the region.Worth area to support recent the project is titled “The Future of Green growth in walking and cycling. “We will also take Infrastructure: Measuring and Designing criteria like density, the Built Environment for Pedestrian and building features, land Bicycle Activities in Dallas-Fort Worth.” use, street connectivity Jeong, assistant professor of architecture in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Afairs (CAPPA), specializes in bridging and access to transit to study how they are associated with walking and biking HEEDING architecture and social science and in developing sustainable, pedestrian-oriented options that engage a variety of disciplinary approaches to activities,” she says. Collaborators include Meghna Tare, UTA chief A promote the economic and cultural growth of cities. “We will use this project to help lessen sustainability ofcer; Matthew Ables, a planner with the Arup Group; Brian CALL climate change through changes in Hammersley of Hammersley infrastructure,” she says. “We’ll analyze existing Architecture; and Lawrence A UTA researcher is walking and cycling activities in the trails of Dallas-Fort Worth and initiate design strategies for green infrastructure that improve mobility Agu, a planner with the city of Dallas. CAPPA interim dean Maria trying to turn healthy choices made during the and stormwater management by reusing vacant Martinez-Cosio says Jeong’s pandemic even healthier lots and empty strip malls.” Green infrastructure aims to solve urban and •B work could serve the DFW region well.y Herb Booth climatic challenges within an existing ecological “This award from one of system. This could mean establishing or using the most prestigious existing creeks, soils and ponds instead of stormwater and architectural organizations in the U.S. will help Dr. Jeong sewer runof systems, so-called grey infrastructure. and her collaborators continue to make an impact in helping

“We hope to help people understand the importance of to create healthy, sustainable and livable communities that green infrastructure,” Jeong says. “About 35% of land in improve DFW residents’ quality of life,” Martinez-Cosio says. Dallas is covered by impervious surfaces like parking lots “What the project envisions is a healthier, more walkable, and highways. This makes streets unwalkable and too hot in better ecological region. North Texas and other metropolitan the summer and has impacts on both public health and the areas could certainly use that.”