Dr. Adrian Buttazzoni is an SSHRC postdoctoral fellow in the School of Planning working with Dr. Leia Minaker. Previously, Adrian completed a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Western Ontario (Dept. Geography and Environment). He obtained his Ph.D. in Planning (University of Waterloo, 2022). Broadly, his research uses mixed methods approaches and generally focuses on the pathways by which different urban environments, characteristics, and designs impact the physical and mental health of people, with an emphasis on youth populations (SSHRC Project – “Urban landscapes and youth mental health: An interdisciplinary investigation of the implications of pedestrian and biomorphic design”).
Some specific topics that he has explored in the past include youth physical activity (e.g., active school travel), population health interventions (e.g., school travel planning), public health and planning policy, environmental design implications related to youth mental health, interdisciplinary integrated knowledge translation issues, the use of neuroscientific instrumentation in the study of urban health phenomena, and adolescent drug use behaviours (e.g., cannabis use, vaping).
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow (Formerly PhD Student in the GoHelP Lab, 2018-2022)
Research Interests
- Active Travel
- Children’s Health
- Community Health
- Health Geography
- Health Promotion
- Housing
- Interdisciplinary Research
- Intervention Studies
- Landscape Design
- Mental Health
- Mixed Methods
- Research Methods
- Reviews
- Social Determinants of Health
- Therapeutic Landscapes
- Urban Design
- Urban Psychology
Why GoHelP
"I chose the GoHelP Lab for the diverse knowledge of the students and faculty, the networks between current and former students (as well as the different programs represented in the Lab), and the available resources to succeed with my study. The Lab offered me a comprehensive set of academic and technical resources, on- and off-campus networks and connections, as well as several opportunities to pursue my long-term academic goals (e.g., publishing, grant writing). Overall, I chose the Lab as I believed it would provide me with a positive experience to get my footing in multiple academic activities of interest and successfully further develop my passion for research."
Publications
All of Adrian's publications can be found on Google Scholar.
- Buttazzoni, A., & Minaker, L. (2023). Exploring the relationships between specific urban design features and adolescent mental health: The case of imageability, enclosure, human scale, transparency, and complexity. Landscape and Urban Planning, 235, 104736.
- Buttazzoni, A., Dean, J., & Minaker, L. (2022). Urban design and adolescent mental health: a qualitative examination of adolescent emotional responses to pedestrian-and transit-oriented design and cognitive architecture concepts. Health & Place, 76, 102825.
- Buttazzoni, A., Ellard, C., Sadiora, S., & Minaker, L. (2022). Toward conceptualizing “place immersion” as a spatial neuropsychosocial phenomenon: A multidisciplinary meta-review and-synthesis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 101810.
- Buttazzoni, A., Parker, A., & Minaker, L. (2021). Investigating the mental health implications of urban environments with neuroscientific methods and mobile technologies: A systematic literature review. Health & Place, 70, 102597.
- Buttazzoni, A. N., Clark, A. F., Seabrook, J. A., & Gilliland, J. A. (2019). Promoting active school travel in elementary schools: A regional case study of the school travel planning intervention. Journal of Transport & Health, 12, 206-219.
- Buttazzoni, A., Arku, G., & Cleave, E. (2019). Practitioners’ perspectives on in-house versus arm’s-length structures of local economic development delivery in Ontario, Canada. Local Government Studies, 45(6), 913-936.
- Buttazzoni, A., Tariq, U., Thompson-Haile, A., Burkhalter, R., Cooke, M., & Minaker, L. (2020). Cannabis use and stigma among Canadian high school students: Results from the 2015 and 2017 Cancer Risk Assessment in Youth Survey. Addictive Behaviors, 106547.
- Buttazzoni, A., Veenhof, M., & Minaker, L. (2020). Smart City and High-Tech Urban Interventions Targeting Human Health: An Equity-Focused Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 2325.
Presentations
- Buttazzoni A., Youth mental health and the urban environment: A review of relevant concepts, theories, methods, and current approaches, and a way forward. Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning,* November 6, 2020, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (*virtual conference)
- Panelist for the “STEC Scholarship Panel Event”. Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo. September 17, 2020, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. (*virtual panel discussion)
- Buttazzoni A., Coen SE, and Gilliland J. Supporting Active School Travel: A Qualitative Analysis of Implementing a Regional Safe Routes to School Program (Poster Presentation). London Health Research Day, May 10, 2018, London, ON.
- Buttazzoni A., ELMO ASRTS Program Evaluation (2016-2018). Elgin-St.Thomas-London-Middlesex-Oxford Active and Safe Routes to School 2nd Annual Knowledge Exchange, April 10, 2018, London ON.
- Buttazzoni A., Shah T, and Gilliland J. The Use of GIS and Spatial Methods in Active School Travel Research: A Rapid Review. ESRI: GIS in Education and Research Conference, October 11, 2017, Toronto ON.
- Buttazzoni A., and Arku G. In-house vs Arms-length? A Comparative Analysis of Economic Development Models in Ontario, Canada. UWO Geography Course 3465F, Oct 6, 2016, London, ON.
- Buttazzoni A., and Arku G. In-house vs Arms-length? A Comparative Analysis of Economic Development Models in Ontario, Canada. Canadian Association of Geographers – Ontario (CAGONT) Conference, October 23-24, 2015, Ottawa, ON.