Wall Street Journal features Dr. Shima Hamidi’s Research

Tuesday, Sep 18, 2018

Recently published research by Dr. Shima Hamidi, Director of the Institute of Urban Affairs in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, is featured in the Wall Street Journal.

As the United States population continues to grow, the life-expectancy ranking has been falling compared to other nations. Dr. Hamidi’s research focused on the effect of urban sprawl on residents’ health, finding that other factors being equal, people who live in more compact counties in the U.S. live longer on average than people who live in more sprawling counties.

She found three major factors that stood out: 

1. Car Crashes: compact areas have more car crashes but they are 15% less likely to be fatal.
2. Obesity: compact areas provide accessibility to healthy food and more opportunities to be physically active.
3. Air Quality: compact areas have lower concentrations of ozone and fine particulates.

 Dr. Hamidi’s research is nationally renowned and is highly representative of UTA’s strategic plan as she focuses on health and the human condition, as well as sustainable urban communities.

See WSJ Article

Congratulations to Dr. Hamidi for her exceptional work and being featured in a prestigious newspaper!