In progress

Association between firearm injury and built-form indexes derived from remote sensing data

Summary:
This project examines how structural aspects of the urban environment—specifically built-up area and nighttime light intensity—relate to firearm injury risk in Chicago. Using high-resolution remote sensing datasets and small-area spatial modeling, we quantify environmental exposures such as urban development density and artificial light as proxies for infrastructure, human activity, and social dynamics. Bayesian spatial models assess how these indicators, alongside neighborhood deprivation and greenness, explain geographic variation in firearm injury risk.

Research Questions:

• RQ1: How do built-up area and nighttime light intensity vary spatially across Chicago?
• RQ2: What is the relationship between these environmental exposures and firearm injury risk, controlling for social disadvantage?
• RQ3: Do these relationships differ by neighborhood deprivation level?

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