Current Projects

Project Title:
Models for Planning Multifunctional and Equitable Green Infrastructure to Mitigate Rising Stormwater and Heat Risks in Cities

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Sara Meerow
Associate Professor
School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
Arizona State University

My Role:
I contributed to this project by modeling both baseline and greened scenarios of urban vegetation and impervious surfaces for the cities of Phoenix, Boulder, and Detroit. This work involved the use of ArcGIS Pro and R to develop spatial models that support the planning of multifunctional and equitable green infrastructure aimed at mitigating stormwater and heat risks.

Detroit Green Infrastructure Projects – Interactive Map

This interactive web map showcases a wide range of green infrastructure (GI) projects across Detroit, including rain gardens, tree planting, community farms, and more. Each point on the map is clickable, allowing users to explore project details such as location, GI type, key features (e.g., trees, native plants, food security), and the most important benefits to the community.

Designed for public use and community engagement, the map helps visualize how nature-based solutions are improving urban resilience and supporting local ecosystems in Detroit.

Map:  https://asu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=32741e673cf6401a9d6ceb56fa269a2e

A Spatial Sensitivity Analysis of Heat, Imperviousness, and Social Vulnerability 

Phoenix, Arizona faces extreme urban heat, environmental degradation, and growing social vulnerability. Green infrastructure (GI) has emerged as a key strategy to mitigate these challenges (Meerow & Newell, 2017). However, the areas prioritized for future greening can differ dramatically depending on which indicators are used for planning. This project analyzes how greening priorities shift based on Land Surface Temperature (LST), impervious surfaces, and Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), using GIS-based methods (Li et al., 2022). 

StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/50c706b0c86b421eb6265b176448f052