Doctoral Dissertation Research: Governing Sustainability through Place-making

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This doctoral dissertation research project assesses the potential for neighborhood initiatives to make cities more environmentally and socially sustainable. It examines initiatives that aim to create, manage, and govern cities in more sustainable ways through community bike-shares, renewable energy cooperatives, etc. These initiatives are proliferating as cities play an increasingly significant role in addressing global environmental issues. These initiatives are significantly shaped by the places in which they emerge and are engaged with and this research examines where and how local neighborhood initiatives and governance processes shape transitions to urban sustainability. The research focuses on ecodistrict planning initiatives where civic, private, and government stakeholders collaborate to develop and test more environmentally resilient and socially responsible mechanisms for delivering vital community services. Project findings will be disseminated to scholars, policy makers, and community members through academic and professional publications, reports, and presentations. The project also provides support for the training of a doctoral student. This project asks three interrelated questions. (1) What relationships, values, and practices characterize ecodistrict governance, and how do these develop?; (2) How is the establishment of ecodistricts impacted by these governance processes, and at what scales?; and (3) How is the governance of ecodistricts related to regional sustainability governance? Data will be collected using a mixed methods approach, including participant observation, interviews, and review of archival documents and analyze to explain the influence of various stakeholders to foster sustainable development. The insights resulting from this research can inform economic and infrastructural development, social equity, and environmental well-being of cities in the United States and elsewhere.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.