Research Clusters.

As an interdisciplinary scholar, the core foci of my research merge green infrastructure (GI) performance, green infrastructure planning and environmental justice and equity. I explore relationships across all three research areas using mixed methodologies while centering Black, Indigenous and people of color.

Green Infrastructure Performance.

My research projects often come from urban stormwater management and green infrastructure practices. Various ecosystem services are often attributed to green infrastructure and green space more broadly, with discussions of maximizing their potential often at the forefront of city planning. I examine the validity of the connections and test their relationships.

 

Urban Planning.

GI performance and design is integral to urban planning, particularly as cities expand their use of GI for more than just stormwater. My work lays the foundation for asking broader questions that focus on how the segregation of urban ecology manifests in urban planning, and whether GI can address that gap without perpetuating environmental inequities.

Environmental Justice & Equity.

As GI has become a panacea for cities working to reach sustainability and resilience goals, failing to integrate landscape histories of racism and segregation into approaches for how we manage and allocate green space and GI will only perpetuate the environmental and social inequities we see today. I am interested in understanding how racial disinvestment and the racialization of space influence climate adaption planning, physical and cultural patterns of environmental amenities and better ways to apply an environmental justice lens across my work.

The Research Group

  • Dr. Hoover stands with her arms crossed in front of her body, wearing a brown mockneck sweater, a green beaded necklace, and a big smiile.

    Fushcia-Ann Hoover

    Principle Investigator

    Hometown: St. Paul, MN

    Interests: cycling, gardening and generally being outside or in the water, and learning new activities.

    Meet Dr. Hoover

  • Riah Lange

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Dr. Lange's Google Scholar

  • Tuyen Truong

    MA in Geography Student

    UNCC BS ‘23

    Hometown: Thomasville, NC

    Interests: crochet, make clay jewelry/trinkets, visit natural areas

  • Fatima Ghaleb

    MS in Environmental Science Student

    Hometown: Rutherford, NC

    Interests: reading, biking, cooking

  • Pegah wears a neon green jacket. She has brown hair with blonde highlights

    Pegah Madadi

    PhD Student in Geography

    Hometown: Arak, Iran

    Research Interests: Green infrastructure, Stormwater management, GIS-based maps, Human-nature relationships

  • Karen Regalado

    Undergraduate Research Assistant

    UNCC '26 BA in Geography

    Hometown: Charlotte, NC

    Interests:

  • Catherine Jones

    Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Grace Kissel

    Undergraduate Research Assistant

Past Members

  • Chandler Horton

    Undergraduate Research Assistant

    UNC Charlotte '23

  • Petua Mukimba

    Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Columbia University '25