Last month, Kanaan Hardaway shared insight into his dissertation research in a seminar for EEE students.

Kanaan is a PhD Candidate in Environmental and Ecological Engineering affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Ecological Sciences and Engineering Program at Purdue University. He received a B.S. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2020. His research interests include urban resilience and livability, particularly on how the effects of social-ecological-technological components of cities manifest themselves in human populations.

He writes, “Most cities experience the urban heat island effect, which takes on particular significance during heatwaves. Urbanization and climate change will lead to more of the human population exposed these dangerous temperatures. Urban vegetation, particularly tree canopy, often is offered as a solution to modify the urban environment and mitigate excessive temperatures.”

His talk focused on the results of two studies. The first study utilized a random forest model to examine the relationship between vegetation and cooling demand in high- and low-income neighborhoods in Chicago; looking at days with temperatures above 90°F and days below 90°F. The second study applied structural equation modeling to assess how urban forests influence temperatures and human health at national, climate zone, and city levels.

Kanaan shared, “Through these studies, I’ve found that the impacts of vegetation in urban areas are nuanced socially, technically, and climatically. In future projects, I hope to continue to clarify how the quantity and quality of urban vegetation affects human livelihoods and wellbeing in cities now and in the future.”