Ecological and Social Homogenization in Urban Environments

The goal of this project is to advance theory, methods, and practice in urban ecology. The project will use data from the long term Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) telephone survey in conjunction with existing social and environmental data to examine social theories about the role of social cohesion, social order, quality of life, environmental conditions, and the adoption of sustainability practices. We will develop enhancements to existing analytical tools to address the multi-scale, spatio-temporal characteristics of the data. Further, we will produce data visualizations and communication materials with local decision makers in order to share the findings and inform decision making. Outputs from this project include papers and presentations that address theory and methods, a published “platform” geodatabase for further data synthesis and analyses, R-code for analyses and visualizations, and decision maker communication materials. This project will benefit from SESYNC’s advanced expertise in analytical techniques, computational efficiencies, data visualization, decision maker engagement, and communications.