Associate Professor Emerita in the School for Environment and Sustainability
As a landscape architect and ecologist, my research program encompasses social, psychological and ecological aspects of sustainable urban design.
Foundational to my current research and teaching is the goal to design urban spaces to better support wellbeing. My seminar in Urban Agriculture brings all of these perspectives together. Current research focuses on the role of urban nature on mental wellbeing and extends to studies about a) the impact of spending time in nature on restoration of wellbeing, and b) identifying which qualities of nature (in terms of content and spatial configuration) best support mental wellbeing. Past work focused on the role of neighborhood social facilitation in the growth of environmental stewardship, and the production of an ecological framework for urban planting design that offers resilience for both personal wellbeing and urban ecosystem function under threat of unpredictable disruptions such as climate change and densification. More information available at my departmental profile and website.
