Geodesign as a strategic collaborative asset within the academic institution

Brian Orland, College of Environment + Design, University of Georgia

Realization • Most academic

disciplines have embraced geospatial thinking

• Most administrative branches of the university use geospatial tools

• Few of them customarily talk to each other, even fewer work together

Geodesign – rehearse, evaluate, adjust • To rehearse change

–Explore what the future will be like

–Try out different ideas, examine different points of viewew

• To evaluate possible outcomes –Measure performance (biophysical and social outcomes)

–Compare alternate policies or plans, anticipate impacts

• To adjust methods and goals –Choose a path forward and accommodate impacts

–Monitor future performance

Geodesign in rehearsal and appraisal

Faced with a new teaching assignment… • “Professor of Geodesign”…better teach it then...

• “Applied Landscape Ecology” –lecture + hands-on laboratory

–no teaching assistant, uneven tech support

• 45 undergraduate landscape architecture students—65 this coming August –no prior GIS experience

–ingrained belief that ecology does not include humans

Decide that this is an “opportunity” • My goal is to develop students’ ability to use

ideas and data from a range of disciplines

• Focus on human ecology –comfort, walkability, access to food, environmental

justice, access to nature, health and well-being

• Use resources and tools created by others, reliable and needing no data preparation

• “Evidence-based” design, at a variety of scales

Evidence-based design at multiple scales • Char-lanta: SE Regional megalopolis

ESRI/Clark Labs 2011-2050 projections: Building America’s Green Infrastructure: http://www.esri.com/about-esri/greeninfrastructure

Atlanta

Charlotte

Atlanta

Charlotte

Ecological design in the Hwy 316 corridor • ESRI/Clark Labs projections, 2011-2050

• Interactive viewer via ESRI

Gwinnett County

Atlanta

Athens Gwinnett County

Atlanta

Athens

http://www.esri.com/about-esri/greeninfrastructure

Final project • Assess the contribution

of community gardens to human well-being, local and regional green infrastructure

• Design green networks offering improvements in human-oriented ecosystem services.

• Provide fresh produce.

• Beautify neighborhoods.

• Bring neighbors together.

• Reduce crime.

• Provide recreation.

• Clean air and water.

• Promote biodiversity.

• Disease control.

Apply the Geodesign Framework • How should the study area

be described? • How does the study area

operate? • Is the area currently

working well? • How might the area be

altered? • What differences might the

changes cause? • How should the area be

changed? Steinitz, 2013. A Framework for Geodesign

How should the study area be described? Neighborhood profile

• 96.7% hip and trendy • 52% likely to be single • Safe from crime • REM recording studios

https://earth.google.com/, http://www.realtor.com https://www.neighborhoodscout.com

Crime statistics

Demogr-aphics

Cultural landmarks

How does the study area operate? • Access to fresh food

• Connections to regional conservation networks

http://doc.arcgis.com/en/geoplanner/, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/

Food deserts

Walk times

Conservation priorities

Is the area currently working well? • iTree assesses monetary

benefits for stormwater energy, air quality, CO2

• Walkscore assesses walkability to neighborhood assets

https://design.itreetools.org/, https://www.walkscore.com/

Walkscore

Ecosystem services

priority to % minority

priority to % poverty

priority to pop. density

How might the area be altered? • ESRI GeoPlanner

connects neighborhood-scale and regional design

• iTree Landscape weigh environmental justice issues in design

http://doc.arcgis.com/en/geoplanner/, https://landscape.itreetools.org/

Weighted overlay

Compare alternatives

What differences will the changes cause? • The Nature Conservancy

–National and global atlas hosted via ArcGIS Online

• ESRI Green Infrastructure –Asset assessments

http://maps.tnc.org/globalmaps.html, http://www.esri.com/about-esri/greeninfrastructure

Regional green networks

Habitat assessment

What differences will the changes cause? • EPA EJSCREEN (Env. Justice)

–Respiratory, hazardous waste

• CDC Social Vulnerability –Disability, language, access

to transportation, socio-economic

https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen, http://svi.cdc.gov/Index.html

Exposure to hazards

Social vulnerability

How should the area be changed? • A participatory Delphi

process using Google Docs allows anonymous, real-time interactive consensus-building

http://www.rand.org/topics/delphi-method.html

Local priorities

Regional priorities

Global priorities

Communicating the outcomes ESRI Story Maps tools

–“Map Journal”

–“Swipe”

–“SpyGlass”

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/

Realization • Most academic

disciplines have embraced geospatial thinking

• Most administrative branches of the university use geospatial tools

• Few of them customarily talk to each other, even fewer work together

Lightbulb! If my goals are:

• An “Ecology of Mind” (Gregory Bateson, 1972)

• Defensible decision-making

• Preparing students to apply knowledge in the work place

• To be broadly relevant to the university

Then:

• Geodesign needs to be central to the operation of the university

• For those without expert skills in design or GIS

So:

• GEOD 1XXX: What should the future be like?

Steps in the assignment—I • Identify global, regional and local priorities via a

Google Docs implemented Delphi process • Use Google Earth, social media and other web

resources to create a introductory, context-setting portrait of the immediate area

• Use ESRI GeoPlanner to identify 5, 10, 15 and 20-minute walk-time ”service areas” and assess their walkability

• Use USDA Forest Service i-Tree Design to derive ecosystem service contributions of CG trees

Steps in the assignment—II • Use i-Tree Canopy to estimate ecosystem service

performance of entire 20-minute service area

• Use ESRI GeoPlanner Green Infrastructure Weighted Overlay to design habitat connectivity

• Use i-Tree Landscape, EPA EJSCREEN and CDC Social Vulnerability Index web resources, show how network contributes, or not, to EJ

• Use ESRI Story Maps to report your findings