Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Making Sense of Landscape Change in Central Illinois
The principal aims of the study are twofold: (1) to understand landscape change through the eyes of community stakeholders, and (2) to reflect these understandings back to stakeholders to assess the extent of social learning. The transformation of Illinois agricultural lands to restored prairie or other open space is the concern of this proposal. The process of landscape change elicits divergent reactions from stakeholders, largely because they hold distinct visions for relationships between themselves, their community, and nature. Understanding these visions is central to develop a community-based model of landscape change in the Midwest, and understanding stakeholder ability to learn other visions besides their own is an important step in conflict management and advancement in community-based planning for restoration projects. See more...
  • Grand Canyon Backcountry Visitor and Stakeholder Study
The research approach is grounded within the history of Grand Canyon management issues of the park. This project entails four related activities, each with distinct objectives to address the managerial issues and to provide essential information to the upcoming park planning process. The four activities are:
(1) Overnight Backcountry User Study
(2) Backcountry Day-user Study
(3) Backcountry Special Places Study: A Stakeholder Analysis
(4) Workshop to Integrate Grand Canyon Backcountry Research, including sociological, ecological, archaeological, and other research that has recently been conducted within the backcountry
Research instruments (e.g., questionnaires, interview items) for each study will undergo a review, comment, and revision process between researchers and park staff. In addition, each research instrument will undergo an approval process at the University of Illinois for ethical considerations in use of human subjects, and an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review as standard procedure of social science research on public lands. See more...
  • Illinois Open Space Study
The purpose of this survey was to provide the Department of Natural Resources, legislators, and other policy makers a better understanding of the general public¡¯s view of open space. More specifically, it was to gain insight on (1) general opinion of open space relative to other community issues, (2) the importance of open space (generally and by specific type) & satisfaction with the amount of open space, (3) the level of support for more funding of open space acquisition, (4) and regional & demographic differences in public views of open space. See more
 

 

Visitor Study for
the Design of
the BA Trailhead

Place and
Decision-making
Project