Research Interests
How do landscapes that we design, especially urban landscapes, impact the health and wellbeing of people? My students and I examine this question by measuring exposure to varying landscapes -- the level of green infrastructure in neighborhoods, or the amount of nature on campuses, or the density of vegetation in urban spaces. We measure the impact of these places on people’s hormones, heart rates, brain waves, psychological states, and ability to pay attention.
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Landscape Architecture
Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Professor, Human Development and Family Studies
Recent Publications
Chakraborty, S., Sullivan, W. C., Chang, C. Y., Barton, A., & Ebata, A. (2026). Perceived Family Conflict Under High Household Density: Could Frequent Visits to Approachable Urban Outdoor Spaces Potentially Be a Mitigator? Environment and Behavior. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139165261420580
Li, X., Zhang, Y., Sang, H., Lee, C., Sullivan, W. C., Maddock, J. E., Li, D., & Brown, R. D. (2026). A novel thermal comfort model for older adults – development and validation of the COMFA-OA model. Building and Environment, 287, Article 113758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113758
Li, J., Browning, M. E., Sullivan, W. C., Liu, X., & Jiang, B. (2025). Greenness, Deprivation, and Fatal Police Shootings: A Five-Year Nationwide Study in the United States. Environment and Behavior, 57(1-2), 3-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139165251316106
Saeidi-Rizi, F., Chang, C. Y., & Sullivan, W. (2025). The therapeutic effects of urban walks on healthcare workers: green vs. barren settings. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 21(4), 729-744. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-025-00668-3
Su, W. C., & Sullivan, W. C. (2025). Optimizing to climate change: passive cooling techniques in Taijiang National Park. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 21(4), 975-990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-025-00675-4