Defense Presentation Title: Policy, Place, and Practice: Mapping Data into Decisions for Environmental Investment

Advisor: Dr. Bethany Cutts, faculty fellow and associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management

Abstract: Data gives us the power to understand environmental challenges and the decisions we make to address them. Yet gaps and misalignments between how data are presented and how they are used can limit the impact of environmental investment programs, especially for vulnerable communities. This dissertation examines the relationship between data, policy design, and equitable outcomes across two complementary studies. It analyzes how mapping practices shape policy implementation in a federal clean transportation initiative and develops a spatial framework for aligning wetland restoration with community resilience in the Albemarle–Pamlico region. It also operationalizes these findings through a user guide and interactive map viewer that translates analysis into accessible decision-support tools. Together, the studies show that mapping data into decisions requires balancing scientific rigor with procedural fairness and usability to advance environmental justice.