ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: GEODESIGN AND THE EXPRESSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES: A MIXED METHODS EVALUTION Matthew Kuniholm Doctor of Philosophy, 2020 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Martha Geores, Department of Geographical Sciences There is a stark contrast between professed environmental values and actual action taken to express those values. This ‘value-action gap’ limits the extent to which individuals enact both simple and collective actions to address critical and declining environmental trends ranging from global climate change to species loss and habitat degradation. While conceptual models positing individual and institutional approaches to overcome the value-action gap do exist, they minimize the complexity of socio- environmental challenges, on the one hand, or the importance of individual action, on the other. This dissertation evaluates an alternative approach to overcoming the value- action gap using a participatory form of environmental design and planning known as geodesign. Despite its apparent benefits, the geodesign approach remains under- theorized and largely unevaluated from the geographic perspective. Using a taxonomic review of geodesign practice and two case studies, this dissertation critically evaluates geodesign practice, identifies opportunities to improve its participatory characteristics, and positions the geodesign framework for use in participatory action research. The results show that the geographic concept of place and theory of place making can improve geodesign practice, account for its current limitations, and explain its hypothesized role in overcoming the value-action gap. GEODESIGN AND THE EXPRESSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES: A MIXED METHODS EVALUATION by Matthew Whitney Kuniholm Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2020 Advisory Committee: Dr. Martha Geores, Chair Dr. George Hurtt Dr. Stephen Prince Dr. Chris Ellis Dr. Michael Paolisso (Dean’s Representative) i © Copyright by Matthew Whitney Kuniholm 2020 ii Acknowledgements Thank you to my committee, and, especially, to my advisor, Dr. Martha Geores, for your ongoing support throughout my PhD studies. I could not have completed this process without your willingness to see me through to the end despite the unexpected circumstances, unforeseen challenges and, thankfully, new opportunities at each step of the way. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1: Evaluating Geodesign in Theory and Practice .................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Geodesign and the Value-Action Gap ...................................................................... 3 1.3 Literature Review: Human-Environment Geography and the Value-Action Gap.... 7 1.3.1 Geodesign and PPGIS ........................................................................................ 7 1.3.2 Geodesign and Participatory Action Research ................................................ 12 1.3.3 Geodesign and Place ........................................................................................ 16 1.4 Research Questions: Evaluating the Impact of Geodesign ..................................... 19 1.5 Geodesign Case Studies: Contexts for Change ....................................................... 21 1.5.1 Edgewater Village Park, Harford County, MD ............................................... 22 1.5.2 Newtown Neck, St. Mary’s County, MD ........................................................ 23 1.6 Research Methods: Making Sense of Geodesign.................................................... 24 1.6.1 Taxonomic Inventory and Evaluation Methods ............................................... 25 1.6.2 Participant Survey Methods ............................................................................. 25 1.6.3 Participatory Action Research Methods .......................................................... 26 1.6.4 Critical Realist Philosophy of Science ............................................................. 27 1.7 Dissertation Structure .............................................................................................. 28 Chapter 2: The Alignment Between the Geodesign Framework and Practice: A Taxonomic Evaluation of Geodesign Practice ................................................................. 30 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 30 2.2 Review .................................................................................................................... 31 2.2.1 Geodesign in Theory ........................................................................................ 31 2.2.2 Geodesign in Practice ...................................................................................... 39 2.3 Taxonomic Inventory of Geodesign Practice ......................................................... 41 2.3.1 Methods............................................................................................................ 41 2.3.2 Results .............................................................................................................. 44 2.4 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 49 2.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 60 Chapter 3: ‘Public Participation’ in a Single Day? A Geodesign Case Study of Edgewater Village Park Redevelopment Planning ............................................................................. 62 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 62 3.2 Geodesign Project Description ............................................................................... 63 3.2.1 Overview and Taxonomic Classification ......................................................... 63 3.2.2 Geodesign Process ........................................................................................... 68 3.2.3 Data and Technology ....................................................................................... 74 iv 3.2.4 Collaboration and Participation ....................................................................... 76 3.3 Evaluation of Outcome ........................................................................................... 78 3.3.1 Methods............................................................................................................ 79 3.3.2 Participant Satisfaction Survey ........................................................................ 83 3.3.3 Environmental Values Survey ......................................................................... 89 3.3.4 Scale of Environmental Agency Survey .......................................................... 94 3.3.5 Open-Ended Responses and Follow-up Interviews ......................................... 98 3.4 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 103 3.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 107 Chapter 4: Geodesign as Participatory Action Research ............................................... 110 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 110 4.2 Review .................................................................................................................. 111 4.2.1 Participatory Geodesign- Concepts and Structure ......................................... 111 4.2.2 Principles for a More Critical Geodesign ...................................................... 115 4.2.3 Geodesign-as-PAR ......................................................................................... 117 4.3 Methods................................................................................................................. 119 4.3.1 Case Study Part 1 – Site Selection and Preparation ....................................... 119 4.3.2 Case Study Part 2 – Geodesign-as-PAR ........................................................ 123 4.4 Case Study Results ................................................................................................ 126 4.4.1 Part 1 Results – Geodesign Project Initiation ................................................ 127 4.4.2 Part 2 Results – Geodesign-as-PAR .............................................................. 129 4.5 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 154 4.5.1 Immediate Outcome of Participatory Geodesign Scoping Phase .................. 154 4.5.2 Substantive Results of Geodesign-as-PAR .................................................... 156 4.6 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 158 Chapter 5: Geodesign as a Place-based