Greening North Knoxville: Visualizing Sustainability in Urban Conditions

This project developed methods whereby the complex interactions of environmental concerns and the urban condition are made visible for the purpose of informing the design process. Investigators collected information on the geospatial conditions of an existing urban neighborhood, North Knoxville, Tennessee, and performed graphic analyses of aspects of urban sustainability. Students in the research seminar identified seven preliminary issues or aspects of sustainability to investigate: transit connectivity, stormwater, safety, proximity to amenities, walkability, solar access, and density. Additionally, the students compiled a detailed tree survey covering a significant portion of the study area. The ultimate goal of these investigations was to utilize graphic information visualization (GIV) software to display and analyze geospatial visual information related to each of these aspects of urban sustainability.