Date of Award

8-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Legacy Department

Civil Engineering

Committee Member

Leidy Klotz, Committee Chair

Committee Member

Caitlin Dyckman

Committee Member

Catherine Mobley

Committee Member

David Morgan Young

Abstract

The primary objective of this research is to understand the role of community participation in green stormwater infrastructure development. Even though the literature affirms the need for community participation to facilitate its implementation, no study in the engineering literature examines this idea with an in-depth, descriptive case study. It is important to understand how technical and non-technical factors interact to promote or hinder its implementation. This work uses the qualitative case study methodology to fulfil the objective and answer the research questions. The case study is based on the Proctor Creek Watershed, Atlanta Georgia, a rapidly growing urban area located in the southeastern United States. Data sources include participant interviews, documents, and field notes, which are analyzed through deductive coding. The deductive codes are informed by this study’s conceptual framework. Findings reveal that community participation in this case is embedded in collaborative partnership efforts. Also, social conditions highly influence the participation processes by dictating the priorities the community develops during participation processes. Factors such as funding and political support promote green stormwater infrastructure implementation more so than community participation. However, community education addresses the challenge of green stormwater infrastructure perspectives; hence community education plays a role in implementation. These findings affirm existing literature adding to the development of current theories.

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