This study will develop metrics and measurement tools for quantitatively and spatially capturing data on social and cultural human values that can be used to address the human dimensions of sustainability in relation to environmental planning, urban development, and other land-use decision-making contexts. The research will include 1) Web-based geospatial values mapping, 2) surveys and workshops to collect data using value trees and relative preference, and 3) comparisons of how outcomes from non-monetary measures compare to those obtained with standard economic methods.
This project will build linkages among several organizations working to better understand how human dimensions fit into sustainable development and ecological restoration in the Pacific Northwest. The collaborations will include regional and federal land management agencies, academic institutions, and non-profit research and conservation organizations. The project will provide a service to the community by identifying ways in which social and cultural values can be incorporated into decision-making, and by emphasizing the inclusion of all value types, including traditionally underrepresented groups such as Tribal Nations, immigrant populations, and rural communities. The project will integrate research and education by offering research and mentoring opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students, and by sharing research methods and results through community forums, regional media, workshops, and publications.
This project is supported under the NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows) program, with the goal of helping to enable discoveries needed to inform actions that lead to environmental, energy and societal sustainability while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. With SEES Fellows support, this project will enable a promising early career researcher to establish themselves in an independent research career related to sustainability.
