A version of this news item originally appeared in the April 2018 edition of CFAES Monthly.
Monitoring Social and Economic Impacts of Green Infrastructure: Blueprint Columbus, a project led by Jeremy Brooks, a faculty member in the School of Environment and Natural Resources was awarded funding through the Battelle Engineering, Technology and Human Affairs (BETHA) Endowment annual grant competition. The Endowment supports projects that examine the complex relationship between science and technology on society and cultural issues. A record number of 37 proposals were submitted for the 2018 competition and six were selected for funding.
Blueprint Columbus aims to improve water quality using green infrastructure (GI), but GI may also improve mental health, physical health and social relationships. Previous research has produced mixed results about whether and in which contexts GI can produce such benefits and has largely ignored whether the planning and implementation process affects perceptions of GI in a way that affects these impacts. This project will use interviews and focus group meetings in two Columbus neighborhoods to address these gaps by capturing local perceptions of the process and outcomes associated with GI installation.