Texas Tech University


CRUX Lab


Cities, Resilience, Urban Regeneration, and eXploration

About CRUX

CRUX Lab investigates how cities, particularly shrinking, flood-prone, and post-industrial communities, can strengthen resilience through adaptive design, urban regeneration, and data-driven planning. Our research focuses on transforming vacant and underutilized land into resilient, multifunctional urban systems that enhance ecological performance, public health, and community well-being.

By integrating spatial data science, landscape performance assessment, and AI-based geospatial analytics, we develop frameworks that connect design, policy, and environmental data to address contemporary urban challenges. CRUX bridges research and design practice to produce actionable insights and replicable models for sustainable and equitable city transformation.

What We Study

  • Urban regeneration and adaptive reuse of vacant urban land
  • Climate and flood resilience through green infrastructure design
  • Health and social impacts of urban vacancy and environmental change
  • Landscape performance evaluation and post-implementation assessment
  • AI- and GIS-based urban analytics using multi-scale spatial, temporal, and visual datasets
  • Data-informed design methods linking environmental science, spatial modeling, and community engagement

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Interested in Joining the Lab?

The CRUX Lab is currently seeking a PhD student to join the research group. The successful candidate will have strong interests in urban regeneration, green infrastructuer, flood resilience, and big data applications in urban research. Students in this position will develop expertise in spatial analysis, GIS, Python-based methohds, and big data analytics, with opoprtunities to publish in high-impact journals and participate in cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Check out the full position description for details on how to apply!

PhD position description

Recent Project: Vacant Land Regeneration: Novel Strategies for Maximizing Local Impact

Vacant Land Regeneration: Novel Strategies for Maximizing Local Impact book cover

Vacant Land Regeneration: Novel Strategies for Maximizing Local Impact was edited by Rui Zhu and Galen Newman. This book synthesizes leading research, case studies, and future trends to show how vacant and abandoned urban land can be transformed into community assets.

  • Frames vacant land as a resilience and health opportunity
  • Organizes practice into four pillars: policy/classification, ecosystem services & resilience, remediation & public health, and community engagement
  • Showcases actionable strategies and cross-city case studies that maximize local impact
  • Policy analysis and classification schemas for vacant land typologies
  • Ecosystem services assessment and resilience metrics
  • Remediation strategies and public-health risk frameworks
  • Community engagement & participatory design toolkits
  • Cross-case synthesis and mixed qualitative–quantitative evaluation
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Recent Project: Vacant Land, Health, and Urban Systems

This project explores how vacant land and housing characteristics—including duration, vegetation coverage, size, and location—relate to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across shrinking and growing U.S. metropolitan areas.

  • Demonstrated that relationships between vacancy and NCDs differ significantly between shrinking and growing cities.
  • Found that long-term vacancy is more strongly associated with higher NCD risks, while short-term or greened vacant lands may have mitigating effects.
  • Identified spatial non-stationarity as a key factor shaping how vacancy duration and location influence health outcomes.
  • Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) interaction models with moderator analysis
  • Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR)
  • Integration of parcel-level and census tract data
  • Remote sensing and GIS-based vacancy mapping
  • Analytical workflows in Python and R
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Recent Project: Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques

Lessons from the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

Vacant Land Regeneration: Novel Strategies for Maximizing Local Impact book cover

Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques- Lessons from the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center was edited by Galen Newman, Rui Zhu, Dongying Li, and Megan Barnes.

This book defines, illustrates, applies, and explores current and future tools and methods for measuring landscape performance using the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center (HANC) as a case site, providing the most extensive, comprehensive description and application of existing landscape performance tools in the current literature to date.

  • Developed a comprehensive framework for quantifying landscape performance through applied research.
  • Assessed hydrology, habitat restoration, biodiversity, visitor experience, and sustainability outcomes.
  • Bridged scientific evidence with design decision-making.
  • Quantitative and qualitative evaluation tools for multi-dimensional performance measurement
  • Monitoring data, field observations, and ecological inventories
  • Comparative pre- and post-restoration analysis
  • Ecosystem service and cost–benefit assessments
  • Reproducible documentation workflows
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Recent Project: Park Visitation and Temporal Population Dynamics – Austin, TX

This study investigates how daytime and nighttime mobility patterns shape urban park visitation across different park types in Austin, Texas. The research connects traditional population data with real-time mobility analytics to understand how residents actually use parks throughout the day.

  • Found that neighborhood and pocket parks correlate more strongly with daytime population density, while district and metropolitan parks align with nighttime residential populations.
  • Identified key socioeconomic factors—such as median age, education, and employment—as significant influences on visitation patterns.
  • Highlighted the impact of amenities like playgrounds and water features on visitor engagement
  • Fixed effects regression analysis using longitudinal datasets
  • Integration of SafeGraph mobility data and LandScan USA population density ratios
  • 1 km park buffer analysis incorporating socioeconomic, park attribute, and weather variables
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Ongoing Project: AI-Based Urban Vacancy Detection and Analysis

This ongoing research explores the use of artificial intelligence and Google Street View imagery to detect and classify vacant urban land conditions. The project aims to build an automated framework for identifying visual and environmental features of vacant sites.

Following classification, the study integrates these findings with crime, visitation, and flood datasets to analyze how vacancy conditions influence urban safety, accessibility, and resilience. Results will guide future green infrastructure and revitalization strategies for underutilized spaces.

Currently, the project is in its conceptual and data collection phase, with multiple publications planned on AI-driven landscape analytics and urban vacancy dynamics.

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CRUX Methods Toolbox

  • Spatial statistical modeling and regression analysis
  • Multi-scale spatial and temporal analysis
  • Integration of demographic, environmental, and parcel-level datasets
  • Remote sensing and GIS-based land characterization
  • Data processing and visualization using computational workflows

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Meet the Research Team

The CRUX Lab is home to many talented graduate researchers.

Lab members

Principle Investigator

Rui Zhu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Texas Tech University
Dept. of Landscape Architecture

Email:  ruizhu@ttu.edu

Phone: (806) 834-5979

Address:
CASNR Annex, Room 129

Dr. Zhu's research focuses on urban regeneration, green infrastructure, landscape performance, and spatial analysis, with particular attention to climate adaptation and equitable urban futures.

See faculty profile

Publications

Zhu, R., & Newman, G. (Eds.). (2026). Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Routledge.
ISBN 9781041029106
URL: https://www.routledge.com/Vacant-Land-Regeneration-Novel-Strategies-for-Maximizing-Local-Impact/Zhu-Newman/p/book/9781041029106

Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M. (Eds.). (Otc.14, 2024). Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques: Lessons from the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003495482
ISBN: 9781032801100
URL: https://www.routledge.com/Contemporary-Landscape-Performance-Methods-and-Techniques-Lessons-from-the-Houston-Arboretum-and-Nature-Center/Newman-Zhu-Li-Barnes/p/book/9781032801100?srsltid=AfmBOop2EVusR52WTowFiuRYuCuvxcKCQpScCov8WmrZyhjDz2sRwS9c
Zhu, R., Song, Y., & Newman, G. (2025). “Exploring the relationship between daytime and nighttime mobility and park visitation: A case study of Austin, TX.” Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science
URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083251325909

Newman, G., McGuire, M.P., Tao, Z., & Zhu, R. (2024). “Towards Increasing Faculty Licensure in Landscape Architecture Education.” Landscape Journal 43(2): 71-86.
URL: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/941370

Asri, A. K., Newman, G. D., Tao, Z., Zhu, R., Chen, H.-L., Lung, S.-C. C., & Wu, C.-D. (2024). What is the spatiotemporal pattern of benzene concentration spread over susceptible area surrounding the Hartman Park community, Houston, Texas? Journal of Hazardous Materials, 474, 134666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134666
 
Zhu, R., Newman, G., & Li, D. (2024). The spatial relationship between long-term vacant housing and non-communicable diseases in U.S. shrinking and growing metropolitan areas. Cities, 145, 104718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104718
 
Zhu, R., Newman, G., Li, D., Song, Y., & Zou, L. (2023). Associations between vacant urban lands and public health outcomes in growing and shrinking cities. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 89, 128127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.128127
 
Zhu, R., Newman, G., Han, S., Kaihatu, J., & Wang, T. (2023). An Adaptive Toolkit for Projecting the Impact of Green Infrastructure Provisions on Stormwater Runoff and Pollutant Load—A Case Study on the City of Galena Park, Texas, USA. Landscape Architecture Frontiers, 11(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.15302/J-LAF-1-040031

Cordova, A. C., Dodds, J. N., Tsai, H.-H. D., Lloyd, D. T., Roman-Hubers, A. T., Wright, F. A., Chiu, W. A., McDonald, T. J., Zhu, R., Newman, G., & Rusyn, I. (2023). Application of Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry for Compositional Characterization and Fingerprinting of a Library of Diverse Crude Oil Samples. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 42(11). https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5727

Cai, Z., Zhu, R., Ruggiero, E., Newman, G., & Horney, J. A. (2023). Calculating the Environmental Impacts of Low-Impact Development Using Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment: A Review of Model Applications. Land, 12(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030612

Kirsch, K. R., Newman, G. D., Zhu, R., McDonald, T. J., Xu, X., & Horney, J. A. (2022). Applying and Integrating Urban Contamination Factors into Community Garden Siting. Journal of Geovisualization and Spatial Analysis, 6(2), 33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41651-022-00129-7

Bhandari, S., Casillas, G., Aly, N., Zhu, R., Newman, G., Wright, F., Miller, A., Adler, G., Rusyn, I., & Chiu. W. (2022) “Spatial and temporal analysis of impacts of Hurricane Florence on criteria air pollutants.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (3): 1757 URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/3/1757

Newman, G., Cai, Z., Zhu, R., Chiu, W., & Jang, S. (2021). “Gauging the effects of potential chemical transferal in high flood-risk fenceline communities.” Journal of Environmental Informatics Letters 6(2): 86-92. DOI: 10.3808/jeil.202100073 URL:http://www.jeiletters.org/index.php?journal=mys&page=article&op=view&path%5 B%5D=202100073

Zhu, R., Newman, G., & Atoba, K. (2021). “Simulating the Impact of Land Use Change on Contaminant Transferal during Flood Events in Houston, Texas.” Landscape Journal 40(2): 79-99.URL: http://lj.uwpress.org/content/40/2/79.short

Zhu, R. & Newman, G. (2021) “The Projected Impacts of Smart Decline on Urban Runoff Contamination Levels.” Computational Urban Science 1(2): 1-21 DOI: 10.1007/s43762-021-00002-1URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43762-021-00002-1

Li, D., Newman, G., Zhang T., Zhu R., & Horney J. (in-press, 2021). “Coping with post-hurricane mental distress: The role of neighborhood green space.” Social Science and Medicine 281: 114084. URL:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953621004160

Newman, G., Li, D., Tao, Z, & Zhu, R. (2021). “Recent Trends in LA-based Research: A Topic Analysis of CELA Abstract Content.” Landscape Journal, 39(2), 51-73. URL: http://lj.uwpress.org/content/39/2/51.short

Aly, N.., Casillas, G., Luo, Y., McDonald, T., Wade, T., Zhu, R., Newman, G., Chui, W., Rusyn, I. (2021). “Environmental impacts of Hurricane Florence flooding in eastern North Carolina: temporal analysis of contaminant distribution and potential human health risks.” Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 31(5): 810-822.URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-021-00325-5

Zhu, R., Tao, Z., Newman, G., Counts, M., Meyer, M., Kim, Y., Kuriyama, N., Kondo, T., Maly, E., Pinheiro, A., Ghezelloo, Y., & Offer, E. (2020). Growth and Shrinkage Pre and Post Tsunami in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Landscape Research Record 9(1), p. 132-147 URL: http://thecela.me/wp-content/uploads/LRR_v.9_FINAL_2020_Reduced-1.pdf

Newman, G., Dongying, L., Zhu, R., & Dingding, R. (2019). Resilience through Regeneration: The economics of repurposing vacant land with green infrastructure. Landscape architecture frontiers, 6(6), 10–23. URL: https://doi.org/10.15302/J-LAF-20180602
Zhu, R., & Newman, G. (2026). “Ch. 1: Laying the foundation for inclusion in Vacant Land Regeneration: Novel Strategies for Maximizing Local Impact.” In Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Zhu, R. & Newman, G., eds.

Park, Y., Lee, J.-E., Lee, J., Zhu, R., & Newman, G.(2026). “Ch. 2: Vacancy Regeneration, Urban Policy, and Classifications: Foundational Insights and Future Directions.” In Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Zhu, R. & Newman, G., eds.

Hollander, J. B., Hallstein, O. C., Zhu, R., & Newman, G. (2026). “Ch. 5: Vacancy and ecosystem services and resilience: Foundational insights and future directions.” In Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Zhu, R. &Newman, G., eds.

Zheng, J., Zhu, R., Newman, G., & Guerra, M. (2026). “Ch. 7: Improving resilience through vacant land regeneration in the coastal energy city of Beaumont, TX.” In Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Zhu, R. &Newman, G., eds.

Lee, R. J., Coleman, E., Zhu, R., & Newman, G. (2026). “Ch. 9: Vacant land remediation and safety and health: Foundational insights and future directions.” In Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Zhu, R. & Newman, G., eds.

Zheng, J., Lee, S., Zhu, R., Newman, G., Garrigus, C., Guerra, M., Judkins, S., Marlett, K., & Zhao, S (2026). “Ch. 10: Revitalizing vacant land for public health: A design approach to active living and community well-being in McAllen, TX.” In Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Zhu, R. & Newman, G., eds.

Zhu, R., & Newman, G. (2026). “Ch. 11: Vacancy transformation and community engagement: Foundational insights and future directions.” In Vacant land regeneration: Novel strategies for maximizing local impact. Zhu, R. & Newman, G., eds.

Cai, Z., Zhu, R., Peng, J., Zheng, J., Wang, P., & Newman, G. (2026). “Ch. 12: Community-driven nature-based solutions utilizing urban vacant lands to enhance flood resilience in Port Arthur, TX. Zhu, R. & Newman, G., eds.

Zhu, R., & Newman, G. (2026). “Ch. 13: Synthesizing insights: Advancing the future of vacant land regeneration. Zhu, R. & Newman, G., eds.

Barnes, M., Zhu, R., Newman, G., & Tao, Z. (2024). “Ch. 1: Defining and Explaining Landscape Performance [pp.3-11].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., Newman, G., & Barnes, M. (2024). “Ch. 2: Landscape Performance Tools and Calculators: An Overview [pp.12-35].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Ladner, C., Burris, B., Markey, D., James, J., Mendenhall, A., Newman, G., Zhu, R., & Li, D. (2024). “Ch. 3: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center (HANC): Design, Implementation, and Issues [pp.36-50].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., Prybutok, S., Cai, Z., Li, D., & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 6: Assessing Annual Pollutant Load Using the L-THIA Model [pp.68-76].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 7: Methodological Overview for eBird, iNaturalist, GAP Data, and Wildlife Richness [pp.77-83].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R. & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 8: Evaluating Species Richness for Birds Using eBird and GAP Data [pp.84-90].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R. & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 9: Evaluating Species Richness for Mammals Using iNaturalist and GAP Data [pp.91-97].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R. & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 10: Evaluating Species Richness for Insects Using iNaturalist and GAP Data [pp.98-106].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R. & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 11: Evaluating Flora Species Richness Using Biodiversity Indexes [pp.107-126].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R. & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 12: Assessing Habitat Quality and Pollinator Benefits [pp.127-136].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., Tao, Z., & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 13: Assessing Material Reuse from Construction Documents [pp.137-144].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., Newman, G., & Li, D. (2024). “Ch. 14: Assessing Accessibility Impact Using Census Data [pp.147-152].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., Cai, Z., & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 19: Assessing Property Tax Revenue through a Pre-Post Evaluation [pp.201-208].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., Tao, Z., & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 20: Assessing Property Value through a Pre-Post Evaluation [pp.209-214].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R., Tao, Z., & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 21: Evaluating Revenue Impacts with Financial Reports [pp.215-220].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Zhu, R. & Newman, G. (2024). “Ch. 22: Analyzing Seeding and Water Savings across Scenarios [pp.221-232].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Newman, G., Zhu, R., Barnes, M, & Li, D. (2024). “Ch. 23: Moving Forward: Future Needs and Directions for Landscape Performance [pp.235-244].” In Contemporary Landscape Performance Methods and Techniques. Newman, G., Zhu, R., Li, D., & Barnes, M., eds.

Newman, G., Qiao, Z. & Zhu, R. (2022). “Ch. 1: Sea Level Rise as a Design and Planning Issue [pp.12-23].” In Design for Sea Level Rise: Innovative Global Solutions. Newman, G. & Qiao, X., eds. Routledge: London.

Tao, Z., Zhu, R., & Newman, G., (2022). “Ch. 2: Global Strategies for Flood and Sea Level Rise Mitigation [pp.24-35].” In Design for Sea Level Rise: Innovative GlobalSolutions. Newman, G. & Qiao, X., eds. Routledge: London.
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