CNH-L: Multi-scale coupled natural human system dynamics of nitrogen in residential landscapes
Project Narrative
Residential maintenance of the ideal “American Lawn” raises concern among stakeholders regarding potentially detrimental human health and ecological consequences, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions. Lawn care decision-making is rooted in dynamic, multiscalar socioeconomic and political processes. Understanding the scale in between the household and the global political economy, i.e. the mesoscale, is crucial for motivating changes to widespread industrialized lawn care approaches. CNH-L is a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary, National Science Foundation-funded research project including FAU CES, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center & Brooklyn College, U.S. Forest Service, Clark University, Cornell University, University of North Carolina, and the University of Rhode Island.
Project Summary and Objectives
CES’ role in the project involves further investigating the factors that influence lawn management behaviors at the neighborhood-level (mesoscale) in metropolitan Baltimore, with a specific emphasis on determining if a relationship exists between level of social cohesion and lawn management behaviors. CES examined how mesoscale, e.g. neighborhood or city level, processes influence household lawn watering, fertilizing, and mowing preferences and practices. This study investigates if there is a relationship between level of social cohesion and lawn management behaviors at the neighborhood-level in metropolitan Baltimore, which presents a key entry point for potential improvements in policy. The underlying goal is to contribute to the understanding of how nitrogen varies in residential landscapes. An additional goal of CES’ research is to enhance the characterization of ecology of prestige, given its relatively recent development, by looking for its existence as a potential motivator of lawn care choices. Furthermore, dissecting the role informal and formal sources of lawn authority play in neighborhoods could produce greater understanding of channels for encouraging industrialized-lawn alternatives.
Project Approach
Data collection included key informant interviews with mesoscale actors who were familiar with neighborhood-level processes and interactions. Key informants were sought out from community associations, local lawn and yard care providers, and informal neighborhood groups. Data was analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.
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