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Research Areas at DIHR

At the Design Institute for Health and Resilience (DIHR) the aim is to bridge the gap between innovative research and practical application, focusing on designing environments that enhance health and well-being. Our interdisciplinary approach brings together expertise from urban planning, architecture, public health, nursing, social work, and other fields to create data-driven, people-centered design solutions that foster resilience across communities. Our research is rooted in understanding how the built environment affects mental, physical, and emotional health. We focus on several key areas, each chosen for its potential to positively impact human well-being:

  • Inclusive Design for Health and Well-being: Exploring how environmental design can support diverse populations and improve health outcomes, particularly in vulnerable groups like the elderly and those with cognitive challenges.
  • Aging and Resilient Places: investigating how neighborhood planning and environmental design can help people age in place comfortably and safely. the goal is to develop evidence-based guidelines for creating environments that support aging populations, including those with cognitive impairments.
  • Mental Health and the Built Environment: Exploring ways in which the built environment can influence mental health outcomes. From designing spaces that facilitate social connection to creating environments that reduce stress and anxiety. The aim in this research is to make mental health a priority in environmental design.
  • Climate and Health: Examining the connections between climate, building materials, and human health. Finding pathways in which climate-resilient design can mitigate negative health impacts and promote sustainability, especially in communities most vulnerable to environmental hazards.
  • Educational and Therapeutic Environments: Exploring how educational and therapeutic spaces can be designed to meet the needs of diverse populations, including individuals with autism and those recovering from mental health challenges. This research aims to make these spaces supportive and conducive to positive health outcomes.
  • Community Health and Engagement: Supporting community-driven health initiatives through innovative environmental design and bridging healthcare and community spaces to enhance health accessibility and equity.

Research Labs

Healthy Aging and Resilient Places Lab
Healthy Aging and Resilient Places Lab

Focused on creating neighborhoods that support aging-in-place, this project looks at how community design can enhance mobility, safety, and social connection for older adults.

Learn More About HARP Lab
Contemplative Architecture, Landscape and Multidisciplinary Experience Design (CALMED)
Contemplative Architecture, Landscape and Multidisciplinary Experience Design (CALMED)
Coming soon!

Fresh from DIHR: Recent Publications

  • Cormier, É., Bourgeois-Guérin, V., Sussman, T., Serrano, D., Gauthier, M., Mahmood, A., Walsh, C., & Canham, S. L. (2025, e-pub). “I haven't grieved yet…”: Grief as humanistic lens for understanding the experience of older persons living and aging in a long-term transitional housing. The Gerontologist, 65(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaf064
  • Cruz Erisman, M., Canham, S. L., Weldrick, R., Mahmood, A., & Patille, R. (2025, e-pub). The impact of COVID-19 on older adults with lived experience of homelessness. Educational Gerontology. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2025.2485810
  • Greer, V., Canham, S. L., Hong, A., Caylor, N., & Van Natter, J. (2025). Shifting perspectives: Outlooks on aging in place in the COVID-19 era. Ageing & Society, 45, 76–99. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X23000211
  • Mirseyed Hosseini, T., & Hakimian, P. (2025). Developing and applying a multidimensional sustainability model for periurban areas. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 151(2), 04025006.https://doi.org/10.1061/JUPDDM.UPENG-5295
  • Wada, M., & Canham, S. L. (2025, e-pub). Resilience in older Japanese immigrants in Canada and the role of community support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-025-09526-z
  • Weldrick, R., Canham, S. L., Mahmood, A., Patille, R., & Gurung, S. (2025, e-pub). Mechanisms to promote social integration in a temporary housing program for older persons experiencing and at-risk of homelessness. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaf086

Publications by DIHR Members

  • Aksamija, A., Milosevic, S., Brainard, G., & Brown, T. (2024). Facades Education in the United States: Current State and Recommendations for Improvements. Proceedings of the Facade World Congress 2024, Salt Lake City, UT, October 8–10. [Link to publication]
  • Canham, S. L., Farrell, T. W. (2024). Age-friendly voices in the pursuit of an age-friendly ecosystem. In V. C. Greer & L. S. Edelman (Eds.), Age-friendly futures: Expanding equity in aging through places and practices (Chapter 6, pp. 71–82). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68361-9_6
  • Canham, S. L., Rehn, K., Rice, E., Guo, J. W., Wu, C., Emerson, J., … Greenwood, E. (2024). Need for a tool to assess the health and care needs of persons experiencing homelessness in the United States. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2024.2426286
  • Canham, S. L., Weldrick, R., Erisman, M., McNamara, A., Rose, J. N., Siantz, E., Casucci, T., & McFarland, M. M. (2024). A scoping review of the experiences and outcomes of stigma and discrimination towards persons experiencing homelessness. Health & Social Care in the Community. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/2060619
  • Canham, S. L., Weldrick, R., Siantz, E., Rose, J. N., Littman, D. M., Cruz Erisman, M., Rehn, K., Jones, S., Anderson, S., McNamara, A., & Greenwood, E. (2025). Community consultations to support scoping review knowledge dissemination. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241299660
  • Chiodo, S., Pagalan, L., Hurst, M., O’Neill, M., Stylianou, H., Diemert, L. M., Chen, H., Brook, J. R., Hong. A., & Rosella, L. C. (2024). Measuring the health co-benefits of air pollution interventions on premature deaths in Canadian cities. Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, 2(3), 428–464. https://doi.org/10.3138/jccpe-2023-0019
  • Choi, D., Song, Y., & Hong, A. (2024). Health and environmental monitoring services for smart healthy cities: Current practices and challenges in local government plans. Journal of Korea Planning Association, 59(5), 147–166. https://doi.org/10.17208/jkpa.2024.10.59.5.147
  • Diaz Moore, K. (2024). Aging, architecture & place-making. In M. Cutchin & G. Rowles (Eds.), Handbook of ageing and place (pp. 293–311). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802209983.00028
  • Gebresselassie, M., Alavi, S., & Hong, A. (2024). How and where did older people travel before and after COVID? Insights from Washington, DC’s smart card data. Findings. https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.93913
  • Greer, V., & Moore, K. D. (2023). Autonomy, identity, and design in the COVID-19 era. In F. Ferdous & E. Roberts (Eds.), (Re)designing the continuum of care for older adults. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20970-3_14
  • Greer, V. C., & Edelman, L. S. (2024). Age-friendly ecosystems: Environments for equitable aging by design. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-68361-9
  • Greer, V. C., & Edelman, L. S. (2024). Age-friendliness as a framework for equity in aging. In V. C. Greer & L. S. Edelman (Eds.), Age-friendly ecosystems. SpringerBriefs in Public Health. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68361-9_2
  • Hilsabeck, R. C., Perry, W., Lacritz, L., Arnett, P. A., Shah, R. C., Borson, S., ... & Subramanian, U. (2024). Improving early detection of cognitive impairment in older adults in primary care clinics: Recommendations from an interdisciplinary geriatrics summit. The Annals of Family Medicine, 22(6), 543–549. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.3174
  • Hong, A. (2024). Age-friendly neighborhoods. In V. C. Greer & L. S. Edelman (Eds.), Age-friendly ecosystems. SpringerBriefs in Public Health. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68361-9_3
  • Lee, J., Barquilla, C. A. M., Park, K., & Hong, A. (2024). Urban form and seasonal PM2.5 dynamics: Enhancing air quality prediction using interpretable machine learning and IoT sensor data. Sustainable Cities and Society, 117, 105976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105976
  • Lu, Q., Wang, X., Sha, H., Chen, J., Luo, J., & Xu, G. (2025). Temporally decelerated and spatially balanced urbanization in China during 1996–2022. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 151(2), 04025006. https://doi.org/10.1061/JUPDDM.UPENG-5295
  • Milosevic, S., & Aksamija, A. (2024). Sustainable retrofitting strategies for culturally significant Brutalist buildings: Energy-efficient strategies for a high-rise residential complex in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Journal of Green Building, 19(2), 95–122. https://doi.org/10.3992/jgb.19.1.95
  • Milosevic, S., Adekunle, T., & Aksamija, A. (2024). Evaluating building performance of an existing research laboratory building: Energy-efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Proceedings of the Comfort at the Extremes (CATE) 2024 Conference, Seville, Spain, November 20–24. [Link to publication]
  • Mohajer, M. F., & Aksamija, A. (2024). Design and energy analysis: Assessment of workflows and simulation tools. Proceedings of the Facade World Congress 2024, Salt Lake City, UT, October 8–10. [Link to publication]
  • Nicholas, D. S., Afzali, M., Aksamija, A., Coleman, N., Mazzi, A., Sanders, E., & Oygur Ilhan, I. (2024). Reimagining care through evidence: Design research, patient-centered solutions, and a culture of care for healthy societies. In C. Gray, E. Ciliotta Chehade, P. Hekkert, L. Forlano, P. Ciuccarelli, & P. Lloyd (Eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.138
  • Ng, K. Y., Hong, A., Higgins, C. D., Widener, M. J., & Koh, K. (2024). Beyond distance: Measuring spatial accessibility to healthy food for older adults in Hong Kong using a 3D least-effort method. Applied Geography, 169, 103336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103336
  • O'Neill, M., Hurst, M., Pagalan, L., Diemert, L., Kornas, K., Fisher, S., ... & Rosella, L. C. (2024). Development and validation of a population-based risk algorithm for premature mortality in Canada: The Premature Mortality Population Risk Tool (PreMPoRT). BMJ Public Health, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000377
  • Richardson, L. R., Canham, S., Weldrick, R., Hoselton, J., Grittner, A. L., & Walsh, C. A. (2025). “I feel like a somebody again”: Ethics of care at a shelter for older adults fleeing abuse in Canada. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2024(13). https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2025.2468314
  • Rosella, L. C., Hurst, M., O’Neill, M., Pagalan, L., Diemert, L., Kornas, K., Hong, A., & Manuel, D. G. (2024). A study protocol for a predictive model to assess population-based avoidable hospitalization risk: Avoidable Hospitalization Population Risk Prediction Tool (AvHPoRT). Diagnostic and Prognostic Research, 8(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41512-024-00165-5
  • Valerie, C. G., Hong, A., Canham, S. L., Agutter, J., Garcia, I., Van Natter, J. M., & Caylor, N. (2024). From sheltered in place to thriving in place: Pandemic places of aging. The Gerontologist, 64(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad087
  • Yang, J. H., Yoon, K. I., Ha, S., Hong, A., & Lim, S. C. (2025). Estimating indoor tile friction coefficient using visual information. Journal of Computational Design and Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcde/qwaf003