Faculty of Urban and Regional Development

Publications

• Book

  Cyril Ilnicki, Raj A., del Rio M. D. et al.

  City Human Potential Ranking 2023. Methodology and Results of Comparative Analysis of 100 BRICS+ Development Leading Cities

  The study, developed by an international consortium, presents the inaugural ranking of human potential in BRICS+ cities, based on UNESCO methodology. The ranking analyzes 100 development-leading cities from 32 BRICS+ countries according to their capacity to develop and realize human potential. The methodology evaluates two interrelated perspectives: the quality of population potential development and the opportunities that urban institutions provide for its realization. The analysis is based on 198 indicators across education, labor market, and digital technologies.

  The study demonstrates that leading cities are characterized by high educational accessibility, developed linkages between education and the labor market, low inequality levels, high availability of digital services, and innovation orientation. The publication serves as an analytical tool for urban policy in the context of sustainable development.

  Mexico: Universidad panamericana, 2024.

• Article

  Shepelenko A., Kosonogov V., Shestakova A.

  Facial obstructions and baseline correction shape affective computing’s detection of emotion–behavior relationships

  Introduction: 

  Affective computing (AC) is increasingly used to study emotional processes underlying decision-making, yet its methodological validity in capturing spontaneous emotional responses and their behavioral relevance remains debated. In particular, it is unclear how facial obstructions and baseline correction affect the accuracy of AC-based facial emotion measures in capturing emotion–behavior relationships.

  Methods: 

  The predictive validity of AC-based facial emotion measures was evaluated in charitable decision-making. Participants (N = 88) viewed dog images and made voluntary donations. Facial expressions were recorded using FaceReader (FR); in Group 1 (n = 43), facial electromyography (EMG) electrodes were also applied, while Group 2 (n = 45) had no electrodes. FR results were compared with EMG and self-report (SR) measures, and the effects of facial obstructions (presence of EMG electrodes) and baseline correction on AC accuracy were examined.

  Results: 

  Donation behavior and SR emotion ratings were equivalent across both groups, whereas FR measurements differed. Corrugator EMG activity negatively correlated with SR and FR valence in both groups, but associations with FR were stronger when facial electrodes were absent, indicating that facial obstructions reduce AC accuracy. Across methods, stronger negative emotions were associated with higher donation amounts. FR valence and happiness correlated with donations across both samples, with stronger associations in the group without EMG electrodes; links with sadness and anger emerged only when facial expressions were unobstructed. Accounting for the prestimulus baseline improved convergence between FR and self-reported emotions and strengthened associations between FR-based valence and anger with donation behavior.

  Discussion: 

  Results indicate that AC can capture prominent emotion–behavior relationships comparable to EMG and SR when recording conditions are optimal, but accuracy is reduced by facial obstructions and enhanced by baseline correction. These methodological factors are critical to consider in multimodal studies and research linking emotions to behavior.

  Frontiers in Physiology. 2026.

• Book chapter

  Prokhorov A., Kiselev G.

  POPULATION AND WORKPLACES ESTIMATION USING MACHINE LEARNING AND OPEN DATA SOURCES

  We study the problem of estimating the population and workplaces in a given area us-
  ing open data sources and machine learning algorithms for automation and improve-
  ment of quality and accuracy of the transport demand calculation in transport modeling.
  Bibliography: 6 titles. Illustrations: 7 figures.

  
  
  
  

  In bk.: Journal of Mathematical Sciences. Vol. 295, No. 2, December, 2025. Mathematical Modeling and AI for Traffic Flows on Networks and Related Topics. Vol. 295. Iss. 2. Springer, 2025. P. 185-196.

• Working paper

  Muleev Y. Y.

  EXPLORING ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PARKING OCCUPANCY RATE AT RESIDENTIAL ESTATES AND SPATIAL CHARACTERISTICS. THE CASE OF YEKATERINBURG

  Financial losses due to low demand for parking spaces in garages at residential estates is a key motivation for this research. The purpose of this paper in particular is to statistically explore the relationship between parking occupancy rates and various factors on transport supply, characteristics of location and the building. The occupancy rate of parking was measured as the ratio of actual number of cars to total number of parking spaces. The fieldwork on counting occupied parking spaces was conducted 2 times per day during a week on a sample of 13 locations in different areas of a 1.4-million Yekaterinburg city in Russia. 4700 observed parking spaces give sample size of 173 records. Statistical analysis shows that the crow-fly distance to the city center as well as the number of public transport stops are strongly associated with occupancy rate for parking. Also, occupancy rate is much more affected by the type of parking ownership. Private owning means purchase of a parking space or renting it while public ownership suggests free access. So private parking means a 45% decline in occupancy compared to the public parking regime. Research provides empirical results and some theoretical underpinnings are also highlighted.

  Urban and Transportation Studies. URB. НИУ ВШЭ, 2020. No. 9.