Research 

In collaboration with local high schools across Grundy County, Tennessee, we have begun to work with students to collaborate on what a "dream city" would look like for residents of rural areas. Working alongside the Civic Design Center in Nashville, Tennessee planning sessions have been brought to schools for students to create models of what infrastructures an ideal living space would have. Our goal through this project is to help increase health equity by determining what spaces can become need to become more accessible like grocery stores and health treatment centers. In the future, we hope to implement these needs throughout the communities we work with. 

 Research conducted on the role of facilitators can provide critical data on how to refine community conversations in order to improve the health of rural areas. In Spring to Summer of 2024, various group-based community meetings were held to discuss the development of the Mountain Goat Trail in Grundy County. Our work aims to answer questions on how to best improve the facilitator role from those who lead these community conversations in the areas local to Sewanee: The University of the South. From this data, various themes were prevalent including increasing advertisement, improving language, and refining the facilitator role. These themes draw attention to specific ways of improving these conversations and how to best facilitate them in order to better guide community conversations.

Head of the Crow (HoTC) State Park is a planned state park in Tennessee, developed from South Cumberland State Park to serve as a significant natural and recreational resource for the Cumberland Plateau region. While previous studies have examined these benefits in established parks, limited data exist regarding how new, planned parks can integrate psychological benefits through intentional design and community engagement. This project seeks to fill this gap by examining how anticipated visitor preferences align with proposed park offerings and how these insights may inform HoTC’s development and long-term impact on mental well-being and community cohesion. Preliminary data suggest a high level of interest among college students in participating in park activities. Additionally, findings showcase a connection between time spent in nature and positive mental health outcomes.

As part of the Healthy Built Environment Grant, this project aims to gather insights on health and wellness directly from Grundy County community members through community design charrettes facilitated by Grundy County community leaders. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation county health ranking, 38% of the population struggles with obesity, 33% are insufficiently physically active, and the premature death rate is over twice the national average, these insights are particularly crucial. Additionally, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, 62% of the Grundy County population lacks access to a park or recreation area, as compared to only 32% in Tennessee and 16% nationally. In Spring 2024, community discussions were held in five towns across Grundy County during which participants mapped points of interest in each town, categorizing them as "assets," "opportunities," or "challenges.