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Non-steep berms, particularly with flat tops, were more effective at shielding road noise than noise walls of the same height due to wind effects. Berms with a forest-floor type cover reduced sound by 0.9 to 2.7...

Van Renterghem, Timothy, and Dick Botteldooren. (2012). On the choice between walls and berms for road traffic noise shielding including wind effects. Landscape and Urban Planning, 105(3), 199-210.

Four days of immersion in nature, and the corresponding disconnection from multi-media and technology, increases performance on a creativity problem-solving task by a full 50%.

Atchley Ruth A., Strayer David L., Atchley Paul. (2012) Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLoS ONE 7(12): e51474. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051474

The first protected bike lane in the US, on 8th and 9th Avenues in Manhattan, led to a 49% increase in retail sales from locally-based businesses along the route, compared to a 3% increase borough-wide.

New York City Department of Transportation. (2012) “Measuring the Street: New Metrics for 21st Century Streets.”

The first protected bike lanes in the US, on 8th and 9th Avenues in Manhattan, led to a 35% decrease in injuries to all users on 8th Avenue and a 58% decrease in injuries to all users on 9th Avenue.

New York City Department of Transportation. (2012) “Measuring the Street: New Metrics for 21st Century Streets.”

A nine-year study determined that a bioinfiltration rain garden clearly removed the pollutant orthophosphate from stormwater. The median orthophosphate concentration decreased from 0.21-0.25 mg/L in the ponded water...

Komlos, John, and Robert G. Traver. (2012). “Long-Term Orthophosphate Removal in a Field-Scale Storm-Water Bioinfiltration Rain Garden.” J. Environ. Eng., 138(10), 991–998.

Judicious use of vegetation can yield rapid and sustained improvements in street-level air quality in dense urban areas. A 2012 study found that planting grass, climbing ivy, and other greenery in urban street...

Pugh, Thomas A. M., A. Robert Mackenzie, J. Duncan Whyatt, and C. Nicholas Hewitt. “Effectiveness of Green Infrastructure for Improvement of Air Quality in Urban Street Canyons.” Environmental Science & Technology 46, no. 14 (2012): 7692–99. https://doi.org/10.1021/es300826w.

Green roofs act as passive filters of airborne particulate matter. This study estimated that 0.21 metric tonnes of PM10 a year could be removed if all flat roofs in an area of Manchester had extensive green roofs...

Speak, Andrew. F., J. J. Rothwell, S. J. Lindley, and C. L. Smith. (2012). Urban particulate pollution reduction by four species of green roof vegetation in a UK city. Atmospheric Environment, 61, 283-293.

This study of 90 large American cities shows that cities with a greater supply of bike paths and lanes (both on- and off-street) have significantly higher bike commute rates, even when controlling for land use...

Buehler, Ralph, and John Pucher. (2012). Cycling to work in 90 large American cities: new evidence on the role of bike paths and lanes. Transportation. 39(2), 409-432.

A study of single-family homes in Portland, Oregon found that trees in the public right of way are associated with lower crime rates. The effect of trees on a house's lot was mixed. Lot trees small enough to block...

Donovan, Geoffrey H., and Jeffrey P. Prestemon. (2012). The effect of trees on crime in Portland, Oregon. Environment and Behavior, 44(1), 3-30.

A review of 14 studies conducted worldwide shows that salt marshes slow waves and stabilize shorelines. Wider marshes with more dense vegetation and higher biomass slow waves to a greater extent and stabilize...

Shepard, Christine C., Caitlin M. Crain, and Michael W. Beck. (2011). The protective role of coastal marshes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 6(11), e27374.

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