From observations conducted in a suburban property in Perth, Western Australia, over 22 years, it appears that a single pet cat may have exterminated a population (est. 40-50 animals) of the lizard Ctenotus fallens over two years, but with the greatest impact in just the first few months. C. fallens did not begin to recolonise the site until six years after the cat had moved away. The observati...

The latter half of the twentieth century has seen a dramatic change in the way modern Australian suburbs develop. In as little as 40 years, the Australian home has transformed from modest cottages to conspicuous palatial rendered houses often referred to as McMansions. The impact of this shift has resulted in a reconfiguration of the suburban landscape, as open spaces on blocks of land are no l...

This study describes differences in health risk behaviors among 2,017 adolescents attending rural, suburban, and urban school districts in upstate New York. Differences in risk behaviors regarding use of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal substances; sexual activity; and carrying weapons were analyzed. A consistent pattern emerged from the analysis of the data, with rural students at most risk. The ...

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of freeway lighting. To achieve this, a case study on traffic accident characteristics was conducted that utilized a suburban freeway area west of Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany, between 1972 and 1981. The study revealed that (a) the effects of lighting on suburban freeway accident rates was positive--there was a reduction in a...

The author contends that healthy communities must be both environmentally and socially sustainable, given that health depends on the quality of the built and natural environments, and that global change resulting from the industrial economy is affecting the web of life. He argues that suburban sprawl wastes scarce resources and disproportionately places those resources in the hands of suburban ...