AJ Wray, PhD
@wrayaj.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Community Health Education. Healthy Communities. GIScience. Urban Development. President of Town and Gown Association of Ontario, Board on International TGA.
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...
www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/202...
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
www.thenationalnews.com
September 9, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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...
www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/202...
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.
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.
September 5, 2025 at 1:29 PM
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.
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.
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!
August 5, 2025 at 10:28 PM
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!
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.
Urban Transitions, a new multidisciplinary journal with @elsevierconnect.bsky.social may be the right fit.
July 7, 2025 at 4:48 PM
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.
Urban Transitions, a new multidisciplinary journal with @elsevierconnect.bsky.social may be the right fit.
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...
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...
How Place Affects Our Health: The Connection Between Geography and Health Promotion with Dr. AJ Wray
The NESI Podcast · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 7, 2025 at 4:45 PM
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...
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...
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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
- 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
In the French city of Marseille, a university's ambitions to poach American scientists could mask broader tensions over funding in Europe.
www.statnews.com/2025/06/30/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/06/30/f...
Europe, with ambitions to poach American scientists, faces pressures of its own
In the French city of Marseille, a university's ambitions to poach American scientists could mask broader tensions over funding in Europe.
www.statnews.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:52 PM
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
- 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
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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
June 23, 2025 at 10:59 AM
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
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/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
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...
www.cbc.ca
June 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
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/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
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...
www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/ar...
June 18, 2025 at 5:46 PM
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...
www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/ar...
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...
IMO, maybe we should just mandate the use of the provincial expert projection!
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
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.
lfpress.com
June 18, 2025 at 2:07 AM
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...
IMO, maybe we should just mandate the use of the provincial expert projection!
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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?
May 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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?
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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
buff.ly/fpGZ3bN
#OpenAccess #hospitality #tourism
March 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
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
buff.ly/fpGZ3bN
#OpenAccess #hospitality #tourism
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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
buff.ly/dCjb3ai
March 27, 2025 at 12:00 PM
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
buff.ly/dCjb3ai
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.
In a new study, we contribute to this ongoing policy debate about regulating outdoor food and beverage advertising.
March 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
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.
In a new study, we contribute to this ongoing policy debate about regulating outdoor food and beverage advertising.
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
March 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
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
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
February 27, 2025 at 8:29 AM
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
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...
Read more about our study in Cities www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
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...
Read more about our study in Cities www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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...
Spend your Family Day submitting an app to join our little DS family 🥳
Apply at: kingsuwo.hiringplatform.ca/processes/20...
King's University College
Three-year Limited Term Appointment – Disability Studies
kingsuwo.hiringplatform.ca
February 17, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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...
Spend your Family Day submitting an app to join our little DS family 🥳
Apply at: kingsuwo.hiringplatform.ca/processes/20...
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...
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...
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
lfpress.com
January 2, 2025 at 4:14 PM
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...
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...
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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...
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...
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...
classicrock981.com
December 13, 2024 at 11:10 PM
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...
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...
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...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
“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…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 15, 2024 at 8:59 PM
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...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
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...
Summary of recent study in Cities & Health: theconversation.com/neighbourhoo...
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.
theconversation.com
April 3, 2024 at 3:33 PM
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...
Summary of recent study in Cities & Health: theconversation.com/neighbourhoo...
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...
www.urbanstudiesonline.com/what-contrib...
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.
www.urbanstudiesonline.com
September 19, 2024 at 3:11 PM
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...
www.urbanstudiesonline.com/what-contrib...
Reposted by AJ Wray, PhD
🚨 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...
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...
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...
www.robertkubinec.com
April 10, 2024 at 10:02 AM
🚨 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...
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...