Research Projects

This project focuses on Austin residents' preparedness for environmental hazards and emergency events, as well as their awareness of cooling centers and resilience hubs. We investigate the socio-demographic and environmental factors that play a role in how prepared residents' feel for emergencies and extreme weather events, as well as residents' utilization of cooling centers or resilience hubs.

We examine how Austin residents perceive the impacts of climate change and environmental hazards, and how these perceptions intersect with social, demographic, and health factors. We also investigate the alignment between residents' perceptions of environmental hazard and climate change exposure with satellite observations and monitoring data.

Our team explores the solutions that Austin residents support for addressing climate change, environmental issues, and health concerns. We investigate which actors residents trust and prefer to implement sustainable solutions. By understanding public preferences and trust levels, this work aims to inform policy-making and community engagement strategies.

This work examines the relationship between social vulnerability, social capital, and community resilience. Social vulnerability refers to a community's susceptibility to harm from hazards and its capacity to respond and recover. Social capital encompasses the networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate collective action within a community. Our research investigates how these factors interact to influence community resilience in the face of challenges such as food and housing insecurity, unemployment, environmental hazard exposure, health issues, and access to resources. By understanding these relationships, we aim to inform strategies that enhance community resilience and support equitable outcomes in the face of environmental and social challenges.