Progress 10/14/14 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Local and state government officials (e.g. City of Binghamton Mayor, Council Members, and Department of Economic Development, New York Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo) business owners, water management and flood control personnel, planners, leaders of community organizations serving under-served and low-income communities such as the Broome County Urban League, VINES (Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments), Binghamton Housing Authority, Catholic Charities, and the Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier, as well as Binghamton-area citizens directly and indirectly impacted by flooding, and Cornell undergraduate students, were all members of our target audience during each of the three years of the project. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As reflected by the list of outreach and extension events itemized above, the project involved three primary types of training and personal development: 1) Professional and research skill development for undergraduate students (via summer internships and independent studies.); 2) Increased understanding of flooding, disaster preparedness, and resiliency for government officials, flood and water management, disaster preparedness professionals, and citizens via the Flood Resiliency Summit, workshops, and community presentations, the Living with Water Play, and online outreach materials (e.g. videos of flood stories); and 3) increased understanding of flooding, disaster preparedness, and resiliency for students, faculty, and staff (the academic community) via a series of presentations. Student Training - Engaged Learning and Research: Year 1: Eleven student interns from Cornell and exchange students from Mahidol University in Bangkok were trained in and then supervised as they conducted qualitative research, including interviewing, transcription, and development and presentation of narrative. Students also received training in ArcGIS Story Maps and created a draft story map that was finalized in Year 2. Year 2: Three summer interns were trained in Story Circle methodology and protocol and, with supervision, then conducted 8 story circles, collecting important data on the ways community members experienced the floods of 2006 and 2011. The interns helped to organize and market the "Living with Water Resiliency Summit," a two-day event which provided over 100 target audience members with an opportunity to increase their understanding of disaster preparedness and recovery, flooding, and the role of local rivers in the lives of area residents. The interns also helped host "Live on the Waterfront," a place-based community and economic development initiative of the City of Binghamton Department of Economic Development, which increased student understanding of municipal-led development strategies and their implementation. Additionally, two student research assistants during Fall 2016/Spring 2017, developing a literature review of the role of arts and humanities in community and economic development, and finalizing the Story Map. Year 3: Four undergraduate student interns supported further research activities during Summer 2017, learning quantitative and qualitative methodologies, conducting interviews, gathering data via publicly placed chalk boards, and designing and implementing a multi-neighborhood survey to understand residents' perceptions of the rivers and opportunities to utilize them in ways which support personal and community well-being. With guidance, the students also (1) developed a set of riverfront revitalization case studies; (2) a new Rust2Green Binghamton Website; (3) two videos about the ways in which past and current residents have (positively and negatively) related to/connected with/utilized the rivers; and (4) gave two presentations, one to a diverse audience of community members and one to Binghamton City Council Members, sharing preliminary results of their research. The students also learned and practiced grant writing skills as well as assisted with events like "Live on the Waterfront." Three of the four students continued their work through Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 independent study courses designed to develop and implement a research framework with which to analyze the data they collected over the summer. Overall: The project resulted in multiple learning outcomes for over 20 students who were deeply engaged in research which was designed to understand community resiliency, while practicing skills and strategies known to enhance it. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to communities through both traditional forums (e.g. community meetings and research and policy briefs), as well as more innovative ones (e.g. The Living With Water Resiliency Summit, which included a mix of presentations (on a range of topics: Flood Preparedness and Response; Regional Flood Mitigation Planning; Waterfront Redevelopment; Building Flood Resiliency), tours of a local elementary school which models flood resilient school design; activities on the riverfront, and a reading of Living with Water: Stories of the Flood, a play designed to convey stories of Binghamton-area residents' experience with the floods of 2006 and 2011. We have also been seeking out arts/humanities funding sources from within the community to produce the play in a variety of venues in the coming year, including in area high schools where our focus would be on supporting student learning. The performances will be accompanied by an audience discussion, designed to highlight key research findings and implications for the community, including opportunities to increase resiliency. Research results were shared with target audience members and others through a variety of venues: Allred, S., Somchanhmavong, A.K., Horrigan, P., Homsy, G., and Roberts, B. 2015. Living With Water: Introduction to Community Based Research. Presentation and Workshop for Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program, Ithaca, NY, June 9, 2015. Allred, S., Roberts, B., Homsy, G., and Somchanhmavong, A.K., Living with Water: Community Flood Experiences in Binghamton, NY. Workshop with Local Government Officials and Global Citizenship and Sustainability Student Interns. Binghamton, NY, June 11, 2015. Allred, S., Somchanhmavong, A.K., Kuhn, J., Kanthanaphaibun, T., Tate, C., Promplin, S., Cunningham, A., Jitsai, N., Rodbutr, P., Medina, E., Sae-Bun, J., Barrera, L., and Narasuan, S., 2015. A Summer of Global Citizenship and Sustainability and Living with Water Research Presentations to University Partners of Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program and Rust2Green Binghamton. Ithaca, NY, June 29, 2015. Allred, S., and Chan, J., 2015. Living with Water: Integrating Theory and Practice. Presentation to Core University Partners of Rust 2 Green Binghamton. Ithaca, NY, August 20, 2015. Schmidt, D., and Moran, L., Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H., and Blakely-Armitage, R. Rust 2 Green Binghamton. Presentation to Cornell Faculty, Staff, Students, and Community Partners, at the CALS NYS Internship Program Fall Forum and Student Presentations. Ithaca, NY, October 5, 2016. Living with Water. First Friday Art Walk: Water Related Art. Binghamton, N.Y., October 7, 2016. Allred, S., Murphy, R., Roberts, B., and Homsy, G. 2016. Living with Water Resiliency Summit, Binghamton, N.Y., October 7, 2016. Lead Organizer, Moderator, Presenter Chalmer, S.K. 2016. Living With Water: Stories from the Flood. Play. Produced by Civic Ensemble, Binghamton, NY. October 8, 2016. Citizens Preparedness Corps Training, Binghamton, N.Y., October 8, 2016. Schmidt, D., and Moran, L. 2017.Rust to Green Binghamton. Presentation to Cornell Faculty, Staff, Students and Community Partners. Engaged Cornell Community Engagement Showcase. Ithaca, NY, April 24, 2017. 2017: Allred, S., Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H., Clark, S., Yuan, Q., Zambito, A., Murphy, B. (2017) Presentation and Workshop with Binghamton Officials and Community Members. Living with Water Community Meeting, Binghamton, N.Y., November 11, 2017. 2017: Allred, S., Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H., Clark, S., Yuan, Q., Zambito, A., Murphy, B. (2017). Presentation and Discussion with Binghamton City Council Members. Living with Water City Council Meeting, Binghamton, N.Y., November 20, 2017. 2017: Allred, S., Horrigan, P., (2017). Acting Together: Cultivating & Fostering Change through Creative University-Community Partnerships. Community Development Institute: Building Sustainable Communities: Global Forces, Local Focus. Cornell Community and Regional Development Institute, Ithaca, N.Y. September 29, 2017. Extension & Outreach Products: The project has resulted in the following outreach products over the three years: Allred, S., Chan, J., Homsy, G., Horrigan, P., Roberts, B., Somchanhmavong, A.K., and Peters, S. 2016. Living with Water: Integrating Community Sustainability and Resilience. Research and Policy Brief Series. Ithaca, NY: Community and Regional Development Institute, Cornell University. No. 74. August 2016. 2.Morrison, S., Chalmers, S. and Allred, S. 2016. Staged Reading: Stories from the Flood. Video. Accessible online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD8anPw36R0 3.Morrison, S. and Allred, S. 2016. What is Living With Water? Video. Accessible online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivPNJHcms20 4.Morrison, S. and Allred, S. 2016. John Burke: Adapting After the Flood. Video. Accessible online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knprRcO9zK8 5.Morrison, S. and Allred, S. 2016. Daniel Eggleston: Neighbor to Neighbor. Video. Accessible online at: https://youtu.be/ad94iS0osbs 6.Morrison, S. and Allred, S. 2016. Tom Costello: Neighbor to Neighbor. Video. Accessible online at: https://youtu.be/UBHnrqpX-KM 7.Morrison, S., Chalmers, S. and Allred, S. 2016. Living with Water: Stories from the Flood Play. Accessible online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD3cxRefp4w Zambito, A., Allred, S., and Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H. 2017. Rust to Green Binghamton Website. Accessible online at: https://www.rust2greenbinghamton.com/ Kuhn, J., Tate, C. and S. Allred. 2016. Living with Water Story Map. http://ccegeomaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=bafe944a1b39444e8857b8707ead6064 Zambito, A., Allred, S. and Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H. (Forthcoming). Riverfront Revitalization Case Studies., CaRDI Student Publication Series. Community and Regional Development Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Clark, S., Oiwa, L., Yuan, Q., Zambito, A., Allred, S., & Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H. 2017. Rust to Green: Binghamton: Binghamton and Its Rivers. Video. Accessible online at: https://www.rust2greenbinghamton.com/ Clark, S., Oiwa, L., Yuan, Q., Zambito, A., Allred, S., & Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H. 2017. Rust to Green Binghamton: Binghamton and Its Rivers: Community Quotes. Video. Accessible online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTOKilF0w_k What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Although the project has termed, we are continuing to analyze our data and are now moving into documenting/writing about our findings. We anticipate a minimum of three articles emerging from the project, including the following: "Towards Community Resilience in Cities: A Process Framework for Integrating Sustainability and Resilience;" "The Importance of Social Infrastructure in Disaster Preparedness, Recovery and Resiliency;" and a book manuscript titled "Living with Water: Stories of the Flood." In addition, we will be expanding our research on resiliency in Binghamton and other communities to examine the role that arts and the humanities play in catalyzing and sustaining resiliency, as part of a national network working in this area through a project known as Performing Our Future. A proposal, due in March 2018, is in the works to support this initiative. Moreover, as part of this process, we are also expanding the membership of our core local partners beyond academia, local, and county government to include business owners, organizations serving populations that are often marginalized, and representatives of the arts and local food communities, assets upon which research suggests greater resiliency can be built.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Research Activities: Over the three years of the project, a variety of mixed research methods were used to understand the adaptive capacity of local government officials and the citizens they serve, while helping them move towards ever greater levels of sustainability and resilience, locally and regionally. Research activities included: Year 1: 22 Narrative interviews with community leaders and decision-makers from the public and private sectors of Binghamton to understand their flood experiences. The interviews have been transcribed and narrative stories completed. Year 2: 5 interviews and 8 Story Circles were completed with 26 Binghamton-area residents directly and indirectly impacted by the flooding to better understand how they were impacted by the floods, with the goal of utilizing the information gained to develop strategies for mitigating and minimizing negative impacts in future events. Year 3: 16 Intercept Interviews (short, five-minute interviews), designed to understand how people perceive the river and see themselves relating to it were completed by individuals frequenting the riverfront area. Additionally, 20 in-depth interviews (30 minutes to an hour) were with conducted with government officials, business owners, and community leaders to delve more extensively into community members' perceptions of and feelings towards the rivers. The results of the interviews were then utilized to inform a survey of approximately 200 residents in five neighborhoods, located in various proximities to the rivers, and comprised of racially, ethnically, and economically diverse populations. Placemaking activities (e.g. prompts on chalkboards relating to ways respondents see the river and would like to relate to it in the future) were also utilized to better understand opportunities to strengthen resiliency in the aftermath of the floods. Overall: Our research approach and methodologies have been developed iteratively and in conjunction with community partners, as the project has evolved, including over 63 interviews, a survey distributed to 200 residents in five neighborhoods, and on-the-spot responses to prompts designed to understand relations to the river, while shaping them. Although we continue to analyze the data from this research, preliminary analysis indicates challenges and opportunities. The narrative interviews and story circles (Years 1 & 2), suggest several challenges for government officials and citizens alike: The difficulty of government officials balancing community needs, desires and the ecological realities of living in a floodplain; the high vulnerability of certain populations (e.g., the elderly, poor, young, and people with disabilities) to flooding, and the psychological trauma, fear, and stress associated with flooding experiences. At the same time, themes of resilience are also present in the stories we heard: Improvements in flood planning between the 2006 and 2011 floods; intentionality around "rebuilding smarter" rather than simply rebuilding; the need to develop community and social memories around flooding and living with water. The interviews and survey conducted in 2017, both affirm some of our earlier preliminary findings and reveal additional challenges and opportunities: Among the challenges are perceptions associating the rivers with flooding and danger, while others see them as a place of beauty, that are underutilized. Feedback from the placemaking activities designed to elicit from Live on the Waterfront participants their hopes and dreams for the rivers, offer a myriad of creative ways to utilize the river for recreation, and as a tool to promote community and economic development (e.g. kayaking, new parks and beaches, business development). The surveys will be analyzed in Spring 2018, with several journal articles and research and policy briefs planned, including manuscripts entitled: "Towards Community Resilience in Cities: A Process Framework for Integrating Sustainability and Resilience;" "The Importance of Social Infrastructure in Disaster Preparedness, Recovery and Resiliency;" and a book manuscript on "Living with Water: Stories of the Flood." Research: Our literature review and mixed methods research approach resulted in a framework (Norris et. al) and substantial data for exploring and understanding key dimensions of resiliency in Binghamton, one which a preliminary analysis suggests reinforces and may expand on that by Norris et. al, which points to social dimensions of resiliency. Student Training: Over 20 undergraduate students learned and practiced (1) community resiliency strategies; (2) qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and analysis; (3) principles of university-community partnerships and action research; (4) placemaking as a community and economic development strategy; (5) collaborative team work and professional skills. Outreach: Binghamton-area officials and citizens were engaged through a variety of approaches (qualitative research methodologies, the Living With Water Resiliency Summit, trainings, presentations, placemaking activities, community meetings, and a play reading, with a follow-up discussions. Evaluations completed at some of these events suggest that community members increased their understanding of flooding and resiliency, e.g. 95% of 23 community members who completed an evaluation after attending the play indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed that they "learned something new about Binghamton's experience of the floods as a result of" the play reading; and 87% agreed or strongly agreed that "they better understand the role arts can play in community recovery/resiliency." Similarly of 37 Summit attendees who completed the evaluation, the following percentages said they increased their understanding of the following topics "moderately" or "a great deal," respectively: flood preparedness and response - 47.5%/32.5%; flood mitigation programs put into place since 2011 - 32.5%/50%; flood prediction - 27.5%/45%; waterfront development initiatives - 47.5%/27.5%; building local flood resiliency - 35%/45%; information about Binghamton's efforts to recover from the floods of 2006 and 2011 - 37.5%/40%; coming together as a community in response to the floods of 2006 and 2011 - 22.5%/40%; regional flood mitigation planning - 42.5%/42.5%. More recently, in a Fall 2017 community meeting and discussion, approximately 40 community members engaged in a facilitated conversation about ways to support community and economic development through river-related recreational opportunities. Participants shared several development strategies and expressed interest in being a part of moving these efforts forward.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Zambito, A., Allred, S., and Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H. 2017. Rust to Green Binghamton Website. Accessible online at: https://www.rust2greenbinghamton.com
- Type:
Other
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Zambito, A., Allred, S. and Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, H. (Forthcoming). Riverfront Revitalization Case Studies., CaRDI Student Publication Series. Community and Regional Development Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
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Progress 10/14/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences andbeneficiaries of this project are municipal officials across New York, ranging from village and city mayors to town supervisors and county emergency management officials. They will be will be provided with a set of tools for addressing sustainable development planning and community resilience in the era of increased flooding. Additionally, the individuals and families in the communities governed by these municipal leaders will benefit indirectly, as they depend on the community for numerous social, economic, and environmental services provided by local governments. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Student researchershave played an integral role in our research, as we partnered with undergraduate interns from Cornell and Mahidol University through the Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program to help conduct our narrative interviews and develop and interactive Story Map to illustrate and contextualize these stories both geographically and historically. Eleven students were trained in qualitative research, including interviewing, transcription, and development and presentation of narratives. Students also received training in ArcGIS Story Maps and a draft story map was prepared. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have conducted meetings on a monthly basis to engage various community, university, and government partners to guide our research and outreach efforts. Additionally, preliminary research results have been presented to communities of interest: Allred, S., Roberts, B, Homsy, G, and Somchanhmavong, A,.K. Living with Water: Community Flood Experiences in Binghamton, NY. Workshop with Local Government Officials and Global Citizenship and Sustainability Student Interns. Binghamton, NY, June 11, 2015. Allred, S., Somchanhmavong, A.K., Kuhn, J., Kanthanaphaibun, T., Tate, C., Promplin, S., Cunningham, A., Jitsai, N., Rodbutr, P., Medina, E., Sae-Bun, J., Barrera, L., and Narasuwan, S. 2015. A Summer of Global Citizenship and Sustainability and Living with Water. Research Presentations to University Partners of Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program and R 2 Green Binghamton. Ithaca, NY, June 29, 2015. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next reporting period involves publishing the conceptual framework for the study in a peer-reviewed journal as well as the preparation of a book manuscript based on the narrative interviews. Also planned is a social network analysis of the data.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We conducted a comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed research and non-governmental resources related to urban sustainability and community resilience to draft a manuscript describing a planning framework we developed for identifying community assets to build urban resilience and sustainability. This manuscript provides the conceptual basis for our research and outreach in Binghamton over the next two years. The manuscript is titled, "Towards Community Resilience in Cities: A Process Framework Integrating Sustainability and Resilience" and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in year 2 of the grant. We conducted narrative interviews with22 community leaders and decision-makers from the public and private sectors of Binghamton to understand their flood experiences. Seventeen interviews have been transcribed, and 11 narrative stories have been completed based on these interviews. Preliminary analysis of narrative interviews indicate several challenges, including the difficulty of government officials balancing community needs, desires, and ecological realities of living in a floodplain, the high vulnerability of populations such as the elderly, poor, youth, and people with disabilities to flooding, and the psychological trauma, fear, and stress of flooding experiences. Themes around building resilience also emerged from our interviews, including notable improvements in municipal flood planning between the 2006 and 2011 floods, the importance of "rebuilding smarter" as opposed to simply rebuilding, and the need to develop community and social memories around flooding and living with water.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Allred, S., Somchanhmavong, A.K., Horrigan, P., Homsy, G., and Roberts, B. 2015. Living With Water: Introduction to Community Based Research. Presentation and Workshop for Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program, Ithaca, NY, June 9, 2015.
Allred, S., Roberts, B, Homsy, G, and Somchanhmavong, A,.K. Living with Water: Community Flood Experiences in Binghamton, NY. Workshop with Local Government Officials and Global Citizenship and Sustainability Student Interns. Binghamton, NY, June 11, 2015
Allred, S., Somchanhmavong, A.K., Kuhn, J., Kanthanaphaibun, T., Tate, C., Promplin, S., Cunningham, A., Jitsai, N., Rodbutr, P., Medina, E., Sae-Bun, J., Barrera, L., and Narasuwan, S. 2015. A Summer of Global Citizenship and Sustainability and Living with Water. Research Presentations to University Partners of Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program and R 2 Green Binghamton. Ithaca, NY, June 29, 2015.
Allred, S. and Chan, J. 2015. Living with Water: Integrating Theory and Practice. Presentation to Core University Partners of Rust 2 Green Binghamton. Ithaca, NY, August 20, 2015.
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