Adriana Zuniga, ALRS alumna co-wrote with Andrea Gerlak an article in Socio Ecological Practice Research

Adriana Zuniga, ALRS 2015 graduate, published her latest paper, entitled: "Addressing injustice in green infrastructure through socio-ecological practice: What isthe role of university community partnerships"  was published the May 2020 issue of the Socio-Ecological Practice Research.

Adriana is also a member of the ALRS Executive Committee and she co-wrote this perspective essay with Andrea Gerlak.  Andrea Gerlak,  Associate Professor, School of Geography and Development, is an affiliated faculty member of the Arid Lands Resource Sciences program.

Abstract

University–community partnerships provide a valuable mechanism to support socio-ecological practice to address complex urban water issues. University–community partnerships have the potential to become a model for engagement that can be replicated to enhance participation around green infrastructure (GI), to expand access to GI in disadvantaged communities, and ultimately, to mitigate injustice and heighten urban resilience. In this Perspective, we describe our team’s experience designing and leading a university–community partnership to better understand injustices in GI planning, design, and imple-mentation, and to help mitigate those injustices, in Tucson, Arizona, US. We build from scholarship on university–community partnerships and draw from our involvement to highlight three keys lessons for successful partnerships: (1) understanding and valuing the socio-ecological context; (2) investing, and reinvesting, in the collaborative process; and (3) embracing a diverse set of roles for universities.KeywordsGreen infrastr