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AJ Wray, PhD

@wrayaj.bsky.social
1.7K followers 275 following 54 posts

Assistant Professor of Community Health Education. Healthy Communities. GIScience. Urban Development. President of Town and Gown Association of Ontario, Board on International TGA.

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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
New publication in the Journal of Spatial Information Science! Smartphones are now broadly accepted data collection instruments, especially in daily mobility-related research. Yet, how do new 5G cellphones perform in logging locations?
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
I joined the @asiapacificfdn.bsky.social podcast to reflect on my time in Japan supported by the Kakehashi Program. North America really struggles with how to treat youth in public space, especially in having autonomy and responsibility in public life. 🎧: www.asiapacific.ca/podcast/kake...
asiapacific.ca
Kakehashi Conversations: A Discussion with Health Geographer Dr. Alexander Wray
In this episode we sit down with Dr. Alexander “AJ” Wray, Assistant Professor of Community Health Education at the University of Tennessee.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
In August, I was interviewed for a series of articles in @thenationalnews.com about Dubai and Abu Dhabi's rapid population growth and construction of large public transit infrastructure. www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/202...
thenationalnews.com
Dubai's population hits four million – here's what lies ahead for the city that keeps on growing | The National
Efforts are under way to make it a more liveable city with traffic-free neighbourhoods and metro expansion
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Are there more Tim Hortons or cannabis outlets in Ontario? As of 2022, there were actually more cannabis outlets! Regulations surrounding alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco have substantially changed over the past five years in Ontario.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
I've joined the University of Tennessee Knoxville Department of Public Health as an Assistant Professor of Community Health Education. I am looking forward to being a Volunteer for many years to come!
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Looking for a new publishing venue for work that integrates urban planning, mobility, environment, climate action, and population health? Urban Transitions, a new multidisciplinary journal with @elsevierconnect.bsky.social may be the right fit.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Pleasure to join the NESI Podcast to discuss connections between health and place. Geography is important for health, but an important lesson I have learned is when to "get out of the way" as a geographer and support other health disciplines in taking the lead! open.spotify.com/episode/0RK5...
open.spotify.com
How Place Affects Our Health: The Connection Between Geography and Health Promotion with Dr. AJ Wray
The NESI Podcast · Episode
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Michael Hendricks 🇨🇦 @michaelhendricks.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
When can we stop taking these programs seriously. - there is no global capacity to absorb US funding cuts - nowhere with good funding and scientific environment has a hard time recruiting scientists ever - nowhere is short of scientists, they are short of resources to do research
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The ESM Item Repository @esmrepository.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
The ESM Item Repository needs your help! We're applying for funding 💰and we need people to tell us how they have used the Repository in their work. If you are willing to be contacted ✉️ by the Repository team to tell us more about this, please reply to this post and please share! #OpenScience
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
A handful of new Canada Excellence Research Chairs and hospital-based research positions only open to non-residents (looking at you, UHN) are not going to fix the structural brain drain issue in Canada. It might even make it worse... www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
FIRST PERSON | I'm choosing to leave for the U.S. for a unicorn job. Does that make me a traitor to Canada? | CBC News
Alice Nelson has a tenured job at an Ontario university. But seeing the impact of tuition freezes and the cap on international students on postsecondary education, she decided it was time for a change...
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
A reminder that Wilmot tried this fake math for decades. It finally caught up to them as a 50.87% tax increase over the next three years just to meet *current* obligations! www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/ar...
ctvnews.ca
Wilmot Township still trying to whittle down proposed property tax hike
Councillors in Wilmot are once again working to bring down the proposed increase on the township’s portion of the 2025 tax bill.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Canadian municipalities continue to play funny games with their population projections to keep current tax increases low while also inflating long-term land supply requests. IMO, maybe we should just mandate the use of the provincial expert projection! lfpress.com/news/local-n...
lfpress.com
City hall's really big question: Just how much will London's population grow?
Planners have to thread the needle between keeping up with growth while not overbuilding, an expert said.
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Matt Rodrigues @mattjrodrigues.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
I’m working on sharing a quarterly community update on initiatives and insights on things happening at the Region that impact Kitchener. What types of information would be useful or insightful to see?
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Urban Studies Journal @urbanstudiesjournal.com · 29/03/2025
Restaurant survival during the #COVID-19 pandemic: Examining operational, demographic and #LandUse predictors in London, Canada by @wrayaj.bsky.social et al buff.ly/fpGZ3bN #OpenAccess #hospitality #tourism
Article information including DOI, title, authors, abstract and keywords.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
It's time for a ring expressway in London, Ontario lfpress.com/opinion/colu...
lfpress.com
Wray: Why risk-averse London needs a ring road (and the region, too)
Building a ring road today is an opportunity for London to fix historical mistakes that have constrained the city, an academic argues
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Urban Studies Journal @urbanstudiesjournal.com · 27/03/2025
The April 2025 issue (Volume 62, Issue 5) of #UrbanStudies is out now featuring articles and reviews by @yeonhwalee.bsky.social @kristianruming.bsky.social @wrayaj.bsky.social @agusmartire.bsky.social @yiminzhao.bsky.social and many more buff.ly/dCjb3ai
Urban Studies Journal cover. White heading text reads 'Urban Studies' and issue details are listed in fine text a banner below. Background is a map of the world at night with illuminated lights.Urban Studies Journal contents page 1Urban Studies Journal contents page 2
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Food and beverage marketing, especially targeted towards youth, receives major scrutiny and policy attention from public health regulators. In a new study, we contribute to this ongoing policy debate about regulating outdoor food and beverage advertising.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Last week, I had the privilege to share my geospatial health research on environmental correlates of youth stress at the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, as well as participate in discussions at the 2nd Specialists Workshop on Geoprivacy and Personalized Health
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Wonderful to be at the Luxembourg Institute for Social and Economic Research this week for the 2nd Specialist Workshop on Geoprivacy for Personalized Health to discuss the responsible use of mobile technology in collecting and analyzing geographic data in a health context
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Canadian youth increasingly live in high-rises. Yet little is known about how these living arrangements affect their health. So we decided to ask youth themselves! Read more about our study in Cities www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Urbanization, housing, and inclusive design for all? A community-based participatory research investigation of the health implications of high-rise environments for adolescents
Increasing numbers of families are living in high-rise residences and densified areas of urban centres due to ongoing urbanization. A better understan…
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Jeff Preston, PhD @jeffpreston.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
REMINDER: Applications are due TOMORROW (Feb 18th) for the 3-year LTA position in #DisabilityStudies at King's. Spend your Family Day submitting an app to join our little DS family 🥳 Apply at: kingsuwo.hiringplatform.ca/processes/20...
kingsuwo.hiringplatform.ca
King's University College
Three-year Limited Term Appointment – Disability Studies
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Over the holidays, I shared my thoughts on London's new mobility master plan. For a city that will apparently double in size over the next 50 years, I guess somebody forgot to inform the city's own transportation department 🤷 lfpress.com/news/local-n...
lfpress.com
New London transportation plan 'unimaginative, bland': Expert
Calling it "unimaginitive," "bland" and politically safe, one planning expert isn't sold on London's new master transportation plan
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Craig Needles @craigneedles.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Friday Round Table! Talked about Doug Ford's plan to tackle encampments and the City of London's (pretty lousy) mobility master plan today with @wrayaj.bsky.social, @caroldyck.bsky.social and @jmccall54.bsky.social! Links to various podcast platforms here! classicrock981.com/blogs/2024/1...
classicrock981.com
Craig Needles Podcast Episode 323: Friday Round Table With AJ Wray, Carol Dyck And Jeremy McCall
On this week’s Friday Round Table, Craig welcomes city building expert Dr. AJ Wray, Green Party candidate Carol Dyck and former council candidate Jeremy McCall to the studio to talk about the week’s t...
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Youth living in high-rises often don't feel welcome in public spaces, but why? Using an innovative qualitative GIS approach, we had youth in Toronto and Waterloo tell us what makes them feel healthy or unhealthy in their neighbourhoods. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
“I like seeing people, different cultures, and hearing different music”: Exploring adolescent perspectives of inclusive and healthy high-rise and dense urban environment designs
As countries continue to urbanize, an increasing number of adolescents will live in densely populated urban areas, often residing in high-rise buildin…
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 03/04/2024
Parks were a great asset to have in your community early on the pandemic. However, the same benefits for most of the population weren't found among youth. Summary of recent study in Cities & Health: theconversation.com/neighbourhoo...
theconversation.com
Neighbourhood amenities may have helped youth mental health and stress early in the pandemic
Neighbourhood features may have helped youth cope with the mental health impact of pandemic restrictions. Parks didn’t play much of a role but food amenities and the suburbs did.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 19/09/2024
As RTO mandates become more prevalent in Canada, our research in #ldnont found that proximity to offices did NOT significantly affect a restaurant's survival. Individual business practices were far more predictive during the first year of the pandemic! www.urbanstudiesonline.com/what-contrib...
urbanstudiesonline.com
What contributed to restaurant survival during the first year of the pandemic in a midsize Canadian city? - Urban Studies
Alexander Wray et al discuss their Urban Studies article: Restaurant survival during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining operational, demographic and land use predictors in London, Canada.
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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 10/04/2024
🚨 Blog post: Lost in Transformation: The Horror and Wonder of Logit I use the analogy of 🗺️↔️🌏 to clarify why logit is such a good model for binary outcomes. tl; dr: OLS works on flat maps; logit works on globes. statsky polisky econsky academicsky www.robertkubinec.com/post/flat_ea...
robertkubinec.com
Lost in Transformation: The Horror and Wonder of Logit | Robert Kubinec
Perhaps no other subject in applied statistics and machine learning has caused people as much trouble as the humble logit model. Most people who learn either subject start off with some form of linear...
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 03/04/2024
Parks were a great asset to have in your community early on the pandemic. However, the same benefits for most of the population weren't found among youth. Summary of recent study in Cities & Health: theconversation.com/neighbourhoo...
theconversation.com
Neighbourhood amenities may have helped youth mental health and stress early in the pandemic
Neighbourhood features may have helped youth cope with the mental health impact of pandemic restrictions. Parks didn’t play much of a role but food amenities and the suburbs did.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 20/09/2023
The student housing crisis has been dominating the headlines for months now in Canada. Was it caused by the feds? The provinces? The institutions? Well, it definitely is also caused by municipalities and their decades of poor decisions: theconversation.com/student-hous...
theconversation.com
Student housing crisis: Municipal bylaws have created roadblocks for decades
Local governments have far too often been let off the hook for approaches that discreetly limit where students may live.
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AJ Wray, PhD @wrayaj.bsky.social · 18/08/2023
At this point, doing everything but raising property taxes is part of Toronto's municipal identity www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/repo…
cbc.ca
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