Building More Fair and Sustainable Cities

Cities can be places of innovation and experimentation, but they can also be places of disempowerment and persecution.

lightening and monsoon storm clouds over Tucson at night

Our research team is working to help cities and urban communities become more livable, fair, resilient, and sustainable. We conduct research and outreach in this area and partner with schools, non-governmental organizations, governments, and other community members.

aerial view of an apartment building with a green roof

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is increasingly adopted in cities around the world as a strategy to address urban water challenges and impacts related to ecosystem instability. It includes green roofs, street trees, raingardens, vegetated swales, urban parks, and greenbelts.

tall buildings rise behind an urban green space

GSI has the potential to provide multiple ecosystem services, including flooding risk reduction, heat island mitigation, carbon storage, reduced energy consumption, and enhanced air and water quality, along with recreation amenities that promote physical activity, social interaction, and better mental health.

However, not all citizens enjoy the same quality of life – some communities are disproportionately exposed to harm and have endured legacies of mistreatment.

Researchers at the Udall Center have been investigating urban greening processes—especially GSI—for more than a decade.

Through engagement and community-inspired research, we have led university-community partnerships and collaborative research efforts to better understand community values and perceptions, inform policy design, and enable better-informed planning.

We aim to translate research into practice and better understand the impacts and effectiveness of greening approaches.

The Udall Center's recent work in this area has included:

✅ Researching the emergence and evolution of GSI policies in Tucson, Arizona.

✅ Leading the design and implementation of GSI at a local high school.

✅ Facilitating the creation of a GSI maintenance protocol for the City of Tucson.

✅ Engaging disenfranchised communities to learn about their GSI needs and perceptions and align them to greening programs.

✅ Mentoring K-12 students with varied family histories and backgrounds in park assessment and STEM disciplines with understanding that access to education is the pathway toward more fair societies.

✅ Partnering with disparate communities through the GSI Accelerator program.