The Projects

Following the Pitchfest, agencies and researchers were able to apply for funding and two projects were selected, which are occurring in Summer 2024.

Using Computer Vision to Automate Bike Lane Inspection

The Problem: NYC DOT would like to test image recognition technologies for identifying pavement distresses in protected bike lanes and measuring their severity. These lanes cannot be inspected as part of existing pavement inspections, because inspectors in the general-purpose lanes cannot see past the parked cars or concrete barriers that protect bike lanes. After surveying the market, NYC DOT could not find a satisfactory technology solution or standardized data schema that had been successfully implemented by another city.

The Study: NYU will pilot the use of image recognition technology incorporated in a multi-sensor data acquisition platform specifically developed for bikes at C2SMARTER Center. This mobile sensing and data collection platform, BSAFE, includes GPS, ultrasonic and pressure sensors and accelerometers, and can be easily mounted on bicycles, scooters, or dedicated vehicles. This technology will enable the systematic collection and analysis of data concerning pavement conditions, specifically focusing on the detection and severity assessment of distresses. This proposed application will enable NYC DOT to (1) Identify and catalog pavement defects through visual scanning and vibration sensing, storing both imagery and precise GPS locations and (2) Contribute to the city's maintenance and planning efforts by providing accurate data on pavement conditions. 

The Impact: NYU will develop an innovative pavement classification schema that enables the quantitative assessment of bike lane conditions on a large scale. New York City DOT intends to gather insights from the Study to inform its future approach to pavement inspection. This pilot will therefore advance New York City's ability to provide safe conditions for bike and scooter users and could chart a path to be followed by other cities around the world.

Principal Investigators: New York University  

Collaborator: New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT)

Validating the Impacts of Leaf Mulching on Urban Soil Health

The Problem: Every fall, NYCHA staff spends significant time raking leaves from over 1,000 acres of tree canopy and transporting fallen leaves offsite. NYCHA is in the second year of a pilot where retrofitted mowers are used to mulch leaves directly onto grass, saving valuable staff time and returning organics to the soil. This also helps increase carbon storage in soil, while reducing greenhouse gas emission from offsite transportation. 

The Study: Brooklyn College will quantify the soil health improvements by leaf mulching. Leaf mulching is an innovative approach for the management of leaves - an organic waste that has been a burden for the city, but scientific data is lacking in literature. Our core research question is whether and how urban soil health (for example infiltration capacity) can be improved through leaf mulching. Brooklyn College will use both field measurements at six NYCHA sites and lab analysis to determine the program’s impacts on a range of soil physical, chemical and biological parameters, such as bulk density, water holding capacity, pH, organic content, nutrient content, and microbial biomass and respiration. 

The Impact: Soil infiltration ability is of particular interest as many NYCHA sites are threatened by coastal and stormwater flooding. The New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) projected that by the end of this decade, 315 NYCHA buildings would be in the 100-year Floodplain; by the end of the century, this number will rise to 915 NYCHA buildings. Each mulching attachment costs less than $500 and requires only a few hours of labor to install. This is a highly scalable, low-cost strategy, consistent with NYCHA’s priority on sustainability. In the short term the study results will strengthen NYCHA’s ability to seek funding and improve ground maintenance practices. In the long term, data that demonstrates a relationship between leaf mulching and improved soil health and climate resiliency in New York City would inform government policies and encourage the adoption of leaf mulching nationwide.

Principal Investigator: Brooklyn College 

  • Zhongqi (Joshua) Cheng, Professor of Environmental Geochemistry, Urban Soils and Urban Sustainability, Director of Environmental Sciences Analytical Center

Collaborator: New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)