New York University Center for Urban Science and Progress - CUSP

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NYU CUSP is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to the application of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the service of urban communities across the globe.

06/24/2025

How do urban morphology, socio-demographics, and environmental factors influence mental health vulnerabilities in NYC?

As part of the 2024–25 CUSP Capstone Cycle, Class of 2025 graduates Swati Sharma, Qianyong Hu, and Wujun Zhou worked with Sponsor Federico Messa (Systematica, Transform Transport) and Mentors Andrea Gorrini (Transform Transport); Giulia Ceccarelli (Systematica & Transform Transport ); and Rawad Choubassi on a project titled “The Body and the City: Exploring the Complex Relationship between Mental Health and Urban Characteristics.”

Mental health is a critical urban challenge, influenced by factors such as urban morphology, socio-demographics, and environmental conditions. In dense cities like NYC, disparities in access to green spaces, housing quality, and exposure to crime can exacerbate mental health vulnerabilities. This project seeks to identify key urban characteristics influencing mental health and provide data-driven insights for urban planning interventions.

🧠 Methodology
A multi-method geospatial approach was employed to analyze the relationship between the built environment and mental health outcomes. Key methods included (1) Spatial Regression to model the relationship between urban features (e.g., land use, green spaces, and transportation) and mental health outcomes, accounting for spatial dependencies; (2) Spatial Autocorrelation using Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi* to detect clusters and hotspots of mental health risks across NYC; (3) Spatial Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce dimensionality and identify dominant spatial patterns in urban features; (4) Predictive Modeling with logistic regression and random forest to predict mental health outcomes based on built environment characteristics like walkability, green space proximity, and housing density; and (5) Street View CNN Model using Google Street View imagery and a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained with ZenSvi to extract variables like urban degeneration and environmental quality. The analysis integrates geospatial data with advanced statistical, machine learning, and deep learning techniques, leveraging tools such as Python (GeoPandas, scikit-learn, PySAL, TensorFlow), ArcGIS, and QGIS. The findings inform urban policy to enhance mental health resilience and equity, providing actionable insights to improve NYC’s built environment for psychological well-being.

🗺️ Deliverables: Processed Raw and Clean Dataset, ArcGIS StoryMap, Data Visualization Dashboard

Interested in collaborating with CUSP through the Capstone Program? Submit your proposal by July 11, 2025: https://ow.ly/U7k450WejnZ

06/23/2025

Does remote work influence voting outcomes differently for Democrats and Republicans in the NY metropolitan area?

As part of the 2024–25 CUSP Capstone Cycle, Class of 2025 graduates Zhiyan Zhang and Sonali Mhatre worked with Sponsors Dr. Takahiro Yabe (Asst. Professor at CUSP & TMI at NYU Tandon) and Dr. Mehak Sachdeva (Faculty Fellow at CUSP) and Mentor Callie Clark (PhD Student at NYU Tandon) on a project titled “The Fragmented Partisan Landscape of the U.S.”

Remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic widened existing political divides in the U.S. Professional, Democratic-leaning industries adopted remote flexibility, while labor-intensive, Republican-leaning sectors had fewer options. This imbalance deepened partisan segregation, reducing cross-party interactions and reshaping residential and voting patterns. In the New York metro area, remote work enabled Democratic-leaning professionals to relocate, influencing voter turnout and shifting political balances. This study examines these trends to inform policymakers on how remote work may be shaping political geography.

🧠 Methodology
Machine learning, statistical analysis, and spatial tools were used to examine how remote work influences partisan patterns in the New York metro area. Classification models like logistic regression, random forest, gradient-boosted trees, and SVM were used to predict whether neighborhoods lean Democratic or Republican, based on remote work potential and demographics. OLS regression was used to measure how remote work levels impact the share of Democratic voters in each area. To visualize patterns, scatter plots, heatmaps, clustering, and maps were used to show how remote work aligns with political geography. This combined approach provided clear insights into how remote work may be shaping the political landscape, offering valuable guidance for policymakers.

📊 📄 Deliverables: Technical Report & Visualization Dashboard

Interested in collaborating with CUSP through the Capstone Program? Submit your proposal by July 11, 2025: https://ow.ly/U7k450WejnZ

📷 Snapshot from the Capstone Showcase with CUSP Director Dr. Maurizio Porfiri and Dr. Anton Rozhkov, Director of CUSP's Master's Program!

06/21/2025

How can a wristwatch-like sensor and mobile infrastructure be optimized to ensure accurate data collection and convenience while measuring skin conductance response across multiple parallel channels to estimate cognitive arousal? 📱📈

As part of the 2024–25 CUSP Capstone Cycle, Class of 2025 graduates Connor Xu and Qingyang Zhao worked with Sponsor Revanth Reddy (NYU Tandon) and Mentor Dr. Rose T. Faghih (Associate Professor, NYU Tandon) on a project titled “Multi-Channel Physiological-Based Inference of Brain States for Urban Optimization.”

The Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests that an optimal arousal level maximizes human productivity, while too much or too little arousal results in decreased performance. In urban environments, dense concentrations of residents and workers make it difficult to track and optimize performance. This research focused on the development of a wristwatch-like sensor and mobile infrastructure capable of measuring skin conductance response in multiple parallel channels to estimate cognitive arousal.

🧠 Methodology
Multiple parallel channels of skin conductance reduce noise and artifacting in current devices, allowing for estimation and modulation of arousal and performance of users in urban environments. Real-time data was obtained using Python to interface with Arduino IDE, allowing for continuous processing and analysis. Averaging techniques were implemented to stabilize GSR signals and minimize glitches. Smoothing algorithms, such as moving averages or low-pass filters, were employed to filter out noise and motion artifacts to optimize signal accuracy.

📄 Deliverables: (1) Multi-Channel GSR monitoring tool with validated data visualization and (2) a technical report detailing an analysis linking arousal levels to task performance, enabling actionable insights for urban health optimization

Interested in collaborating with CUSP through the Capstone Program? Submit your proposal by July 11, 2025: https://ow.ly/gIb250Wejfr

06/11/2025

We were thrilled to see CUSP alum, recent Capstone Sponsor, and NYU Tandon Urban Systems PhD Student La-Toya Niles take the stage at last week’s Urban Future Forum hosted by the Urban Future Lab!

⚡In an insightful conversation with Jack Fritzinger, La-Toya Niles discussed the new reality of advanced energy finance and community partnership.

📊 As part of the event, La-Toya Niles also led an engaging workshop on project finance and community partnership.

Huge thanks to La-Toya Niles, Jack Fritzinger, and the entire Urban Future Forum lineup for sharing their expertise and ideas!

06/09/2025

🌧️ Despite the rain, today’s site visit to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project drew an impressive turnout of students, faculty, and researchers!

Organized by Industry Assistant Professor Manny Patole and hosted by the NYC Department of Design and Construction, this field trip highlighted how climate-resilient infrastructure is helping reduce flood risk from coastal storms and sea level rise along Manhattan’s East Side — stretching from East 25th Street to Montgomery Street. 🌍🏙️

05/30/2025

This month, CUSP had the pleasure of hosting a series of talks by Dr. Klaus-Dieter Weltmann and Christina Geldschläger from the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) Greifswald. Their presentations covered innovation in the field of plasma medicine and strategies for transforming research into real-word solutions.

Thank you Dr. Klaus-Dieter Weltmann and Christina Geldschläger for the valuable insights!

05/28/2025

Dr. Ning Lin, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, recently visited CUSP for a seminar on tropical cyclone hazards and risk analysis! 🌀

Dr. Ning Lin's current primary focus is hurricane risk analysis. She integrates science, engineering, and policy to study hurricane-related weather extremes (strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges, and compounding sea level rise and heatwaves), how they change with changing climate, and how their impact on society can be better mitigated.

Thank you Dr. Ning Lin for the engaging seminar!

05/27/2025

As part of his Spring 2025 Innovative City Governance course, Dr. Max Vilgalys organized a talk by NYC Council Member Julie Won, who represents the 26th Council district in Western Queens covering the neighborhoods of Long Island City, Sunnyside, Astoria, and Woodside.

It was fascinating to hear how Council Member Julie Won's tech background at IBM shaped her approach to embracing cutting-edge technologies—and how it underscores her commitment to expanding access to affordable, high-quality internet service across NYC. 💻

A huge thanks for such an inspiring talk!

In the Innovative City Governance course, students discuss the comparative advantages of cities, the private sector, and public-private partnerships for implementing innovative solutions. Students then explore the logistics of implementing changes in urban governance through case studies and interviews with practitioners.

05/26/2025

Dr. Timon McPhearson's talk hosted as part of CUSP's Spring 2025 Urban Science Research Seminar series focused on Anthropocene climate risks and resilience in cities. 🌎

As part of the seminar, Dr. Timon McPhearson introduced ClimateIQ—a new climate AI tool that seeks to advance climate and data science using multiple forms of machine learning to scale operational climate risk data for urban areas across multiple climate hazards. 🌊 🌡️

Explore the project here: https://climateiq.org/

05/23/2025

Manny Patole, CUSP Industry Assistant Professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, organized a trip to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project this past semester so that students and faculty could witness climate infrastructure up close! 🌊

The ESCR Project is a major climate infrastructure effort protecting Manhattan's East Side—East 25th to Montgomery St.—from coastal storms and sea level rise. Jointly funded by NYC and the federal government, construction began in Fall 2020 and runs through 2026.

A huge thanks to NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) for the informative tour and valuable insights!

Tour highlights included:

➡️ Raised parkland: Elevated 8-9 feet above existing grade, it's designed to extreme, low probability sea level rise projections for the 2050s. 📏

➡️ Floodgates: 18 gates preserve connections to the waterfront, closing only in the event of a coastal storm. ⛈️

➡️ Combined sewer system: Upgrades to the existing combined sewer system will protect the inland neighborhoods on Manhattan's East Side from flooding due to rainfall. 🏢

05/22/2025

This spring, CUSP was thrilled to host a seminar with Dr. Greg Morrisett, the Jack and Rilla Neafsey Dean and Vice Provost of Cornell Tech and a faculty member in the Computer Science Department at Cornell University.

Before the talk, Dr. Greg Morrisett also met with computer science PhD student Ryan Kim and Professor Paul Torrens (CSE, CUSP) to test a VR tool exploring crosswalk safety at the Simspace Motion Capture Laboratory at CUSP! 🏙️🦺🕶️

Curious about the research? Check out the paper "Building Verisimilitude in VR With High-Fidelity Local Action Models: A Demonstration Supporting Road-Crossing Experiments" published by Ryan Kim and Professor Paul Torrens at the SIGSIM-PADS '24: ACM SIGSIM Conference on Principles of Advanced Discrete Simulation: https://doi.org/10.1145/3615979.3656060

Address

370 Jay Street, 13th Floor
Brooklyn, NY
11201

Telephone

+16469970500

Website

https://engineering.nyu.edu/research-innovation/centers/cusp

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