Cities are where most people now experience nature, weather, and environmental risk directly — in the trees on their street, the heat of their neighborhood, and the parks they do or don’t have access to. This work uses spatial analysis, ecosystem-assessment tools, and increasingly mobile location data to understand how the structure of the urban environment shapes human exposure and experience, from tree canopy and hardscape to heat and park access.
Current Projects
Applying smartphone location data to understand patterns of urban mobility and park use in Los Angeles, including but not limited to exposure to extreme heat.
Publications
Woo, B., S. Fruman, R. Escobar, A. Gallegos, J. Kim, J. Salomon, D. Sonobe, J. Van, S. Derakhshan, and T. Longcore. 2026. Smartphone location data show park use patterns in extreme heat (Los Angeles, California, USA). Landscape and Urban Planning 265:105499.
Derakhshan, S., J. M. Dialesandro, V. K. Turner, and T. Longcore. 2025. Space-time dynamics in hazard exposure analysis: smartphone locations show pedestrian routes are inflexible to extreme heat events. npj Natural Hazards 2:2.
Derakhshan, S., D. Eisenman, R. Basu, and T. Longcore. 2024. Do social vulnerability indices correlate with extreme heat health outcomes? Journal of Climate Change and Health 18:100276.
Derakhshan, S., T. N. Bautista, M. Bouwman, L. Huang, L. Lee, J. Tarczynski, I. Wahagheghe, X. Zeng, and T. Longcore. 2023. Smartphone locations reveal patterns of cooling center use as a heat mitigation strategy. Applied Geography 150:102821.
Lee, S. J., T. Longcore, C. Rich, and J. P. Wilson. 2017. Increased home size and hardscape decreases urban forest cover in Los Angeles County’s single-family residential neighborhoods. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 24:222–235.
Newell, J. P., M. Seymour, T. Yee, J. Renteria, T. Longcore, and J. R. Wolch. 2013. Green alleys: planning for a sustainable urban infrastructure? Cities 31:144–155.
Wolch, J. R., T. Longcore, and J. P. Wilson. 2012. Unpaving paradise: the Green Visions Plan. Pages 230–239 in D. Sloane (ed.). Planning Los Angeles. APA Planners Press.
Longcore, T., C. Li, and J. P. Wilson. 2004. Applicability of CITYgreen urban ecosystem analysis software to a dense urban neighborhood. Urban Geography 25(2):173–186.
Reports
Longcore, T., K. Fitzpatrick, and M. Phelan. 2001. Assessment of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Cool Schools Tree Planting Program. University of Southern California Sustainable Cities Program, Los Angeles. 13 pp.