The EMoGI Project | planvizlab

PROJECT PROFILE: The EMoGI Project
Emotional Mapping of Green Infrastructure in Disadvantaged Urban Places

About

This project investigates people’s perceptions and emotional attachments to green infrastructure (GI), focusing on disadvantaged urban neighborhoods and the experiences of residents typically underrepresented in GI research. A pilot study (2022-23) will primarily focus on the parks and open spaces in the City of Camden, NJ. We will address four research questions: (1) Do statistically significant relationships exist between emotions and GI in disadvantaged places? (2) How can we map GI-emotion relationships? Do GI-emotion relationships vary according to types of emotions and types/locations of GI? (3) Do GI-emotion relationships vary among different underrepresented groups? (4) How do GI-emotion relationships impact community mental health and wellbeing and how are they meaningful to public health officials, planners, and policymakers?

The team was awarded a $25,000 grant from Rowan University's Catalyst grant program.

Project Team

Mahbubur Meenar, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator, Rowan University)

Jennifer Kitson, Ph.D. (Co-Investigator, Rowan University)

Ashley York, Ph.D. (Co-Investigator, Rowan University)

Community Partners

Missy Frankil, Jade Lopez and Joe Myers (Camden Community Partnership, NJ)

Patricia Jones (The Arc of Atlantic County, NJ)

Dan Rhoton (HopeWorks in Camden, NJ)

Jonathan Wetstein (Parkside Business & Community in Partnership, NJ)

Research Collaborators

S. M. Labib, Ph.D. (Utrecht University, Nederlands)

Jirka Panek, Ph.D. (Palacký University, Czech Republic)

Leslie Spencer, Ph.D. (Rowan University)

Project Goals

Goal 1: Examine relationships between emotions and GI in disadvantaged urban places
Goal 2: Create emotional maps to understand the relationships between GI, emotions, and locations
Goal 3: Explore if/how the relationships vary among underrepresented vulnerable population groups:
- Race (Black)
- Ethnicity (Latinx)
- Gender (Female)
- Age (Older adults)
- Disability (people with intellectual or physical disabilities)
Goal 4: Interpret if/how the relationships (i) impact community mental health and wellbeing and (iii) are meaningful to public health officials, planners, and policymakers