- Portland, Oregon, United States
- Portland State University, Urban Studies, Graduate Studentadd
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Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has long been touted as a multi-purpose approach to stormwater management that offers environmental, economic, and social benefits, and many cities across the US are incorporating GSI into stormwater... more
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has long been touted as a multi-purpose approach to stormwater management that offers environmental, economic, and social benefits, and many cities across the US are incorporating GSI into stormwater management plans. There is an underlying assumption that the installation of GSI results in benefits to the communities in which they are located, and as a result, it is assumed that the placement of GSI in marginalized communities creates an equitable distribution of green amenities. However, evaluation of the physical distribution of GSI does not capture the site-specific contexts that can lead to variability in the outcomes of and benefits derived from GSI structures. We hypothesize that conditions of GSI ecosystems are variable within and across cities, producing unique outcomes that may differ across individual facilities, and the potential benefits of GSI are conditional on these outcomes. This study examines the distribution of ecosystem serv...
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Dam removal in the United States has continued to increase in pace and scope, transitioning from a dam-safety engineering practice to an integral component of many large-scale river restoration programmes. At the same time, knowledge... more
Dam removal in the United States has continued to increase in pace and scope, transitioning from a dam-safety engineering practice to an integral component of many large-scale river restoration programmes. At the same time, knowledge around dam removals remains fragmented by disciplinary silos and a lack of knowledge transfer between communities of practice around dam removal and academia. Here we argue that dam removal science, as a study of large restoration-oriented infrastructure interventions, requires the construction of an interdisciplinary framework to integrate knowledge relevant to decision-making on dam removal. Drawing upon infrastructure studies, relational theories of coproduction of knowledge and social life, and advances within restoration ecology and dam removal science, we present a preliminary framework of dams as systems with irreducibly interrelated political, financial, environmental, social, and technological dimensions (PFESTS). With this framework we analyse...
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This chapter explores strategies for engaging in Critical Physical Geography (CPG) while in graduate school despite known challenges and institutional barriers. We focus on key milestones in the PhD process: from selecting a program and... more
This chapter explores strategies for engaging in Critical Physical Geography (CPG) while in graduate school despite known challenges and institutional barriers. We focus on key milestones in the PhD process: from selecting a program and advisor to analyzing and integrating data to writing the dissertation. Each milestone brings unique challenges, necessitating tailored strategies. However, we suggest that two factors are important throughout: first, a long-term view that sees graduate school as the start rather than the end of an engagement with CPG, and second, supportive peer networks which create intellectual and political space for this type of research as early career scholars.
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Sustainable drainage systems or ‘Suds’ are increasingly accepted as an effective means of ‘making space for water’, adapting to possible climate change and helping communities become more flood and drought resilient. This study explores... more
Sustainable drainage systems or ‘Suds’ are increasingly accepted as an effective means of ‘making space for water’, adapting to possible climate change and helping communities become more flood and drought resilient. This study explores potential shifts in perception and attitude through Suds installation, development and habituation. Attitudes and awareness in communities in the USA and UK, where Suds have been in place for some time, were compared and contrasted, examining any evolution of beliefs and practices and wider community resilience. The principal finding was that there existed a lack of understanding about the existence and function of Suds. The paper concludes that consultation regarding solutions during Suds planning and installation, and ongoing dialogue afterwards, could usefully be explored as a means to improve local awareness of and satisfaction with Suds and promote greater understanding of their function. This may in turn encourage behaviour change to improve lo...
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Dam removal in the United States has continued to increase in pace and scope, transitioning from a dam-safety engineering practice to an integral component of many large-scale river restoration programmes. At the same time, knowledge... more
Dam removal in the United States has continued to increase in pace and scope, transitioning from a dam-safety engineering practice to an integral component of many large-scale river restoration programmes. At the same time, knowledge around dam removals remains fragmented by disciplinary silos and a lack of knowledge transfer between communities of practice around dam removal and academia. Here we argue that dam removal science, as a study of large restoration-oriented infrastructure interventions, requires the construction of an interdisciplinary framework to integrate knowledge relevant to decision-making on dam removal. Drawing upon infrastructure studies, relational theories of coproduction of knowledge and social life, and advances within restoration ecology and dam removal science, we present a preliminary framework of dams as systems with irreducibly interrelated political, financial, environmental, social, and technological dimensions (PFESTS). With this framework we analyse...
Research Interests:
To mitigate the harmful effects of stormwater runoff, many cities in the United States are constructing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), yet the varied perceptions of GSI by local municipal managers can make or break the... more
To mitigate the harmful effects of stormwater runoff, many cities in the United States are constructing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), yet the varied perceptions of GSI by local municipal managers can make or break the implementation of GSI in any given city. We conducted a series of focus groups with municipal managers from two adjacent regions in the Pacific Northwest (US) – Portland, Oregon and Clark County, Washington – where many of the earliest and most extensive applications of urban GSI have occurred. We aimed to understand the extent to which municipal managers fundamentally differ in their considerations of GSI, even within one metropolitan region. Results indicate that Portland respondents were optimistic about GSI implementation emphasizing stakeholder buy-in and regulatory systems. Alternatively, in Clark County, an unfunded state mandate, public concern, and uncertainties about facility performance culminated in a cautionary approach to GSI. The variation in findings has many implications for implementing GSI.
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Infrastructure crises are not only technical problems for engineers to solve—they also present social, ecological, financial, and political challenges. Addressing infrastructure problems thus requires a robust planning process that... more
Infrastructure crises are not only technical problems for engineers to solve—they also present social, ecological, financial, and political challenges. Addressing infrastructure problems thus requires a robust planning process that includes examination of the social and ecological systems supporting infrastructure, alongside technical systems. An integrative Social, Ecological, and Technological Systems (SETS) analysis of infrastructure solutions can complement the planning process by revealing potential trade-offs that are often overlooked in standard procedures. We explore the interconnected SETS of the infrastructure problem in the US through comparative case studies of green infrastructure (GI) development in Portland and Baltimore. Currently a popular infrastructure solution to a wide variety of urban ills, GI is the use and mimicry of ecological components (e.g., plants) to perform municipal services (e.g., stormwater management). We develop the ecological-technological spectr...
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We find geographic and disciplinary variation in conceptualizations of GI. • GI is used as a greenspace planning, urban ecology, & stormwater management concept. • Disciplinary GI literatures represent distinct scholarly... more
We find geographic and disciplinary variation in conceptualizations of GI. • GI is used as a greenspace planning, urban ecology, & stormwater management concept. • Disciplinary GI literatures represent distinct scholarly communities. • Not all GI is created equal and must not be assumed to provide all benefits. • It is critical to clearly define GI, but studies often fail to do this.
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The risk presented by pluvial flooding has emerged as a critical issue in urban water management. Pluvial flooding occurs when precipitation intensity exceeds the capacity of natural and engineered drainage systems, and it is expected to... more
The risk presented by pluvial flooding has emerged as a critical issue in urban water management. Pluvial flooding occurs when precipitation intensity exceeds the capacity of natural and engineered drainage systems, and it is expected to increase in frequency, severity and impact through the 21st century due to the combined effects of climate change and urbanization. Although there have been recent advances in approaches to assess the risk presented pluvial flooding and to enhance the resilience of cities to its impacts, they have not been broadly implemented and there are many opportunities for additional research. We provide case studies of pluvial flooding in six cities in the continental United States, which serve as examples of the current vulnerability of cities that have not developed comprehensive pluvial flood management plans and the challenges in conducting pluvial flood research in light of existing data gaps. We also identify key research challenges that should be prioritized by the interdisciplinary water research community to better support urban resilience practice.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Sustainable drainage systems or ‘Suds’ are increasingly accepted as an effective means of ‘making space for water’, adapting to possible climate change and helping communities become more flood and drought resilient. This study explores... more
Sustainable drainage systems or ‘Suds’ are increasingly accepted as an effective means of ‘making space for water’,
adapting to possible climate change and helping communities become more flood and drought resilient. This study
explores potential shifts in perception and attitude through Suds installation, development and habituation. Attitudes
and awareness in communities in the USA and UK, where Suds have been in place for some time, were compared and
contrasted, examining any evolution of beliefs and practices and wider community resilience. The principal finding
was that there existed a lack of understanding about the existence and function of Suds. The paper concludes that
consultation regarding solutions during Suds planning and installation, and ongoing dialogue afterwards, could
usefully be explored as a means to improve local awareness of and satisfaction with Suds and promote greater
understanding of their function. This may in turn encourage behaviour change to improve longer-term functionality
of Suds and increase community resilience to flooding and drought.
adapting to possible climate change and helping communities become more flood and drought resilient. This study
explores potential shifts in perception and attitude through Suds installation, development and habituation. Attitudes
and awareness in communities in the USA and UK, where Suds have been in place for some time, were compared and
contrasted, examining any evolution of beliefs and practices and wider community resilience. The principal finding
was that there existed a lack of understanding about the existence and function of Suds. The paper concludes that
consultation regarding solutions during Suds planning and installation, and ongoing dialogue afterwards, could
usefully be explored as a means to improve local awareness of and satisfaction with Suds and promote greater
understanding of their function. This may in turn encourage behaviour change to improve longer-term functionality
of Suds and increase community resilience to flooding and drought.