Keun Park
Research Classification
Research Interests
Relevant Thesis-Based Degree Programs
Research Options
Research Methodology
Recruitment
1. Access to urban green and blue spaces of varying sizes and forms
- Research question: How do we connect low-mobility populations (e.g., children, older adults, people with disabilities, low-income people) with diverse urban parks, forests, and waterfronts?
- Skills/interests needed: multidisciplinary interests (environmental justice, urban design and planning, transportation, etc.), mixed-methods (GIS/statistics and/or qualitative methods)
2. Effective monitoring of human behaviours in urban green and blue spaces
- Research question: How can we monitor and predict the usage dynamics in urban parks, forests, and waterfront greenways reliably and efficiently?
- Skills/interests needed: digital technology (sensors, camera, etc.), computer programming (python, R, SQL, etc.), machine learning algorithms, observational methods
3. Role of urban forestry in urban development
- Research question: What are the roles and impacts of urban forestry design and planning in sustainable urban developments?
- Skills/interests needed: urban planning and design, mixed-methods research (case studies, quasi-experiments, statistical analysis)
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ADVICE AND INSIGHTS FROM UBC FACULTY ON REACHING OUT TO SUPERVISORS
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Theses completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest theses.
In response to increasing sustainability challenges and the critical need for equitable park access, this thesis investigates the development of Transit-to-Parks (T2P) initiatives that link public transit to natural areas across Canada, and analyzes factors influencing park visitors' transportation choices in Metro Vancouver. The thesis employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative insights gathered from semi-structured interviews with ten Transit-to- Parks (T2P) initiative practitioners and quantitative analyses of 430 park-user survey responses.The research uncovers three motivations for T2P initiatives: parking and traffic congestion, environmental impacts of traffic, and equity considerations. It highlights key facilitators such as policy advocacy, partnerships, and community engagement in the successful implementation of T2P initiatives while also pointing out challenges, including limited funding and labor shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and siloed agencies. Furthermore, analysis of park visitors' mode choices indicates that socio-demographic and trip-related factors significantly influence the decision to use sustainable transport options for park visits. These findings suggest that targeted infrastructure improvements, policy interventions, and planning efforts are essential to reducing car dependency and fostering a shift toward more sustainable transportation modes.This thesis contributes to the discourse on urban planning, green equity, transportation equity, and recreational management, offering practical insights for transit agencies, urban planners, and policymakers aiming to improve park accessibility through sustainable transportation. It advocates for the integration of transportation planning with park access strategies to foster more sustainable, equitable urban environments.
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Publications
- A systematic review of alternative protocols for evaluating non-spatial dimensions of urban parks (2020)
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, - Empty Parks: An Observational and Correlational Study Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) (2020)
Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture, - Exploring the influence of built environment on Uber demand (2020)
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, - Flying High: A Case Study of the Integration of Drones into a Landscape Architecture Curriculum (2020)
Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture, - From XS to XL Urban Nature: Examining Access to Different Types of Green Space Using a ‘Just Sustainabilities’ Framework (2020)
Sustainability, - Guidelines for a Polycentric Region to Reduce Vehicle Use and Increase Walking and Transit Use (2020)
Journal of the American Planning Association, - Park and Neighborhood Attributes Associated With Park Use: An Observational Study Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (2020)
Environment and Behavior, - Safety and Nonoptimal Usage of a Protected Intersection for Bicycling and Walking: A Before-and-After Case Study in Salt Lake City, Utah (2020)
Sustainability, - Traffic generated by mixed-use developments—A follow-up 31-region study (2020)
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, - Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in behavior mapping: A case study of neighborhood parks (2020)
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, - Comparative case studies: trip and parking generation at Orenco Station TOD, Portland Region and Station Park TAD, Salt Lake City Region (2019)
Cities, 87, 48-59 - Intrazonal or interzonal? Improving intrazonal travel forecast in a four-step travel demand model (2019)
Transportation, - Not Parking Lots but Parks: A Joint Association of Parks and Transit Stations with Travel Behavior (2019)
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, - The Missing Link between Place and Productivity? The Impact of Transit-Oriented Development on the Knowledge and Creative Economy (2019)
Journal of Planning Education and Research, - Why Do Some Articles in Planning Journals Get Cited More than Others? (2019)
Journal of Planning Education and Research, - Street life and the built environment in an auto-oriented US region (2018)
Cities, - The impacts of built environment characteristics of rail station areas on household travel behavior (2018)
Cities, - The Usability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Pedestrian Observation (2018)
Journal of Planning Education and Research, - Travel Behavior in TODs vs. Non-TODs: Using Cluster Analysis and Propensity Score Matching (2018)
Transportation Research Record, - Trip and parking generation rates for different housing types: Effects of compact development (2018)
Urban Studies, - Psychological park accessibility: a systematic literature review of perceptual components affecting park use (2017)
Landscape Research, 42 (5), 508-520 - The usability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for measuring park-based physical activity (2017)
Landscape and Urban Planning, 167, 157-164
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