RESEARCH TRACK 4 — Digital [tools + technologies + societies]
About this track​
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How digital technologies (e.g., digital media and communication platforms, data sharing platforms, data collection platforms) are redefining the practice of community, engagement, citizen science, and the planning and advocacy processes;
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How digital technologies are slowly changing or reshaping cities—their form, function, operation, and administration;
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How digital technologies and engagement tools (e.g., social media posts, emotional maps, mental maps, photovoice, audio or video storytelling) can assist planners in understanding neighborhood conditions, forms, and features;
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What smart cities truly mean and how smart cities can be planned and designed; and
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What we really mean by digital equity, digital ethics, and the digital divide in the 21st century.
This track focuses on digital tools and technologies and their impact on societies. Since 2017, we have been steadily developing the scope of this track, and we anticipate prioritizing research related to this track in the near future. Under this track, we are interested in a number of sub-topics, including: ​
Relevant projects
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Machine Learning-based Predictive Analysis to Understand Public Health Risk from Heavy Metal Exposure in Camden (2024 - 2025)
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Sponsor - South Jersey Institute for Population Health, Paromita Nath (PI), Mahbubur Meenar (Co-PI), Thivanka Ariyarathna (Co-PI), Shaneka Boucher (Co-PI), and Iman Dehzangi (Co-PI), $24,988
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The Urban Built Environment and Navigating Equity (2021 - 2023)
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Sponsor - University of Otago, New Zealand, Ashraful Alam (PI), Douglas Hill (Co-PI), Mahbubur Meenar (Co-PI)​​, $5,000​
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Glassboro Food Hub - Technical Assistance Mini-Grant (2022)​
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Sponsor - Illinois Public Health Institute, Mahbubur Meenar (PI), $7,500​
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Watershed Storytelling: Connecting People, Place, and Water​ (2019 - 2021)
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Sponsor - New Jersey Council for the Humanities, Jennifer Kitson (PI), Megan Bucknum (Co-PI), Mahbubur Meenar (Co-PI), $20,000
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Watershed Storytelling: Experiential Tools for Connecting People, Place, and Water​ (2018 - 2019)
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Sponsor - New Jersey Council for the Humanities, Jennifer Kitson (PI), Mahbubur Meenar (Co-PI), Megan Bucknum (Co-PI), $5,000
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Using Immersive and Multi-Sensory Virtual Reality in Participatory Planning (2017 - 2018)
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Sponsor - Rowan University SEED grant, Mahbubur Meenar (PI), $10,000
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Listen. Record. Play. Equitable Placemaking and Environmental Park Design in Camden through Audio Storytelling​ (2018 - 2019)
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Sponsor - Rowan Research Experience for Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) grant, Jennifer Kitson (PI), Mahbubur Meenar (Co-PI), $5,000
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NJ Map Watershed Explorer (2017 - 2018)
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Sponsor - Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Kirby Foundation, John Hasse (PI), Jennifer Kitson (Co-PI), Mahbubur Meenar (Co-PI), $82,000
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Relevant publications
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Kitson, J., Bucknum, M., & Meenar, M. (2023). Staging hydrophilic encounters – experiential methods for creating dialogic listening space. Social & Cultural Geography. 24(5), 778-795. Published online in 2021.
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Meenar, M. & Afzalan, N. (2022). Urban planners’ roles, perceptions, needs, and concerns in smart city planning: A survey of U.S. planners. International Planning Studies, 28(1), 21-36. Published online in 2022.
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Meenar, M., Afzalan, N., & Hajrasouliha, A. (2022). Analyzing Lynch's city imageability in the digital age. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 42(6), 611-623. Published online in 2019.
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MacCarthy, K.**, Hasse, J., & Meenar, M. (2022). Web mapping platforms for community planning and engagement: Lessons learned from NJ Map. In Patnaik, S., Sen, S., Ghosh, S. (eds.), Smart Cities and Smart Communities: Empowering Citizens through Intelligent Technologies (pp. 205–229), Singapore: Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-19-1146-0_11
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Alam, A., Meenar, M., Barraza, F., Khalil, M., & Knopp, K. (2022). Citizen engagement on local government Facebook pages: Experience from Aotearoa New Zealand. Cities, 123 (April), 103584.
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Meenar, M. & Mandarano, L.. (2021). Using photovoice and emotional maps to understand transitional urban neighborhoods. Cities, 118 (Nov), 103353.
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Meenar, M. & Kitson, J. (2020). Using multi-sensory and multi-dimensional immersive virtual reality in participatory planning. Urban Science , 4(3), 34.
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Meenar, M., Flamm, B, & Keenan, K. (2019). Mapping the emotional experience of travel to understand cycle-transit user behavior. Sustainability, 11(17), 4743.
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Mandarano, L. & Meenar, M. (2015). E-participation: comparing trends in practice and the classroom. Planning Practice and Research, 30(4), 457-475.
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Mandarano, L., Meenar, M., & Steins, C. (2011). Building social capital in the digital age of civic engagement. Journal of Planning Literature (special issue on Communicative Cities), 25(2), 123-135.
