PARTICIPATORY LANDSCAPE DESIGN with URBAN MINORITY TEENS: BUILDING COLLECTIVE EFFICACY for LANDSCAPE STEWARDSHIP By
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PARTICIPATORY LANDSCAPE DESIGN WITH URBAN MINORITY TEENS: BUILDING COLLECTIVE EFFICACY FOR LANDSCAPE STEWARDSHIP by M’Lis Bartlett A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Landscape Architecture) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor MaryCarol R. Hunter, Co- Chair Professor Dorceta E. Taylor, Co-Chair Associate Professor Donald Freeman Professor Robert E. Grese © M’Lis Bartlett ______________________ All rights reserved 2015 DEDICATION For Dad 1938-2015 Who loved people and nature. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply appreciative of the thoughtful support of the many people who have supported my journey on the path to completing this dissertation. In particular I am very grateful to my committee, MaryCarol Hunter, Dorceta Taylor, Bob Grese and Donald Freeman for their caring and critical guidance. It was through their support that I was able not only to complete a study of collective efficacy for landscape stewardship but I was able to do so in context of an on-the-ground project, creating a new school yard with the teens of Beecher, 9th Grade Academy. Thank you MaryCarol for the rigorous, thoughtful reflections, insights and conversations that wound around the data, the art of science, the profession of landscape architecture back again. I appreciate the push to keep going, to get it clear and to get it right. Dorceta I appreciate your keen use an environmental justice lens to approach this work - it is clear to me that environmental justice should be a part of every planning and design program. And thank you for the personal encouragement in times of discouragement and frustration. Donald, thank you for your on-going enthusiasm for the design professions and applied research. In particular I am grateful for the idea of thinking across and through. I liken this to looking at one’s data through a prism. If you look one way it’s one thing, but what if you turn it just a bit…what might you see? Bob, for your many kindnesses over the years. I deeply respect your on-going enthusiasm for including the voice of young people in design and your passion for engaging people in the care of their local environment. Finally, to Beth Diamond, who as my first mentor in this project, helped me start down this path iii with an introduction to my first community partner and enthusiastic push to “go make places.” I am indebted to a group of community members passionate about making the world a better place for teens and about helping teens make the world a better place! Thank you to Diana Copeland and Lizzy Baskerville for the offer of collaboration – this project started with you and your hopes for children in Detroit. To Leyla Sanker and Sara McDonelle, thank you for the on-going help (logistics and laughter) making this project come to fruition in Beecher. To the 9th Grade Academy students and staff. Each of you is a treasure. Thank you for your willingness to take a risk with someone you didn’t know to try a project that was bigger than we all imagined. Many thanks as well to the graduate students (Lizzy, Kevin, Katie, Nick) who volunteered to work with the students and make the school yard come to life. I am so lucky to have had the support of many friends throughout this project. To my doctoral sisters Sara Hadavi, Silvia Corderos-Sancho, Irem Dalogou and Dana Jackman – and many others, thank you for the edits, the tea, the chocolate and hugs. I look forward to our next journey. And finally, thanks to my husband Aric and my family – for loving me. Such endeavors are not possible without the love (and teasing) you have given me over the years. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... xii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER I .................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Connecting practices: .............................................................................................................. 2 Research Design: Community Based Participatory Research ................................................ 4 Overview of the chapters ......................................................................................................... 7 References ............................................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER II ................................................................................................................................. 12 The Ugliest School Yard Detroit: Environmental Education & Action through Participatory Landscape Design ......................................................................................................................... 12 Abstract: ................................................................................................................................ 12 2-1. Participatory Design and Teens ......................................................................................... 14 2-2. Ugliest School Yard, Detroit.............................................................................................. 16 2-3. Next Steps .......................................................................................................................... 18 References ............................................................................................................................. 21 CHAPTER III ............................................................................................................................... 23 Participatory landscape design with urban minority teens:A tool for building collective eficacy for landscape stewardship ............................................................................................................. 23 Abstract: ................................................................................................................................ 23 3-1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 25 Participatory landscape design for youth ............................................................................. 26 Participatory design and environmental education for local action ..................................... 29 v Collective efficacy a theoretical framework .......................................................................... 30 3-2. Methods and descriptive results ......................................................................................... 34 3-2-1. Study location ............................................................................................................. 34 3-2-2. The Healthiest School Yard Project ............................................................................ 36 3-2-3. Sample Populations: HSY participants and 9GA student body .................................. 39 3-2-4. Survey instrument ....................................................................................................... 40 Examining direct and vicarious experience .......................................................................... 40 Self and collective efficacy for landscape stewardship ......................................................... 42 3-3. Variable creation and statistical methods .......................................................................... 45 3-3-1. Collective efficacy construction through participatory design ................................... 45 Collective Efficacy for Healthiest School Yard Program (HSY) Participants: ..................... 45 Self-efficacy for Healthiest School Yard Program (HSY) Participants: ............................... 47 Exploring efficacy related to specific landscape types (HSY): .............................................. 47 Collective Efficacy for the Whole Study Population (WSP): ................................................. 47 Exploring collective efficacy construction in the Whole Study Population: ......................... 48 Exploring self-efficacy construction for the Whole School Population: ............................... 50 3-4. Results ................................................................................................................................ 51 3-4-1. Collective efficacy outcomes for HSY design program participants .......................... 51 Collective Efficacy for Healthiest School Yard Program (HSY) Participants: ..................... 51 Collective efficacy and skill building experiences with HSY participants: ........................... 52 Self-efficacy