By Anonymous
Interaction
While George Mason University is one of the biggest commuter campuses in the state of Virginia, a complex network of sidewalks run through the area itself. Housing thousands of collegiate students from all around the world, these sidewalks are a sight of heavy traffic. Most recently, construction of multiple sidewalk and pathway projects have been completed (Construction, n.d.) to improve the aesthetic flow around the campus as well as highlight other features within the area. With an ever-growing university, sidewalk projects will only continue to occur.
Resource Characteristics
There are two environmental aspects of concern surrounding sidewalks: urban heat island impacts and stormwater runoff. With so many impervious surfaces on the campus (sidewalks, roofs, parking lots, et cetera), the albedo of the overall area is low. Absorbing more heat from the UV rays increases the campus’ general temperature (Kesikoglu and Tolga, 2021). In the warmer seasons, this urban heat island affect can injure local wildlife because of the excess heat absorbed. Alongside the same concept of impervious surfaces, the number of sidewalks on campus overshadows the natural ground that could soak up any stormwater that falls. Instead, the human waste that accumulates alongside the sidewalks (exhaust, trash, et cetera) is mixed with the rainwater that eventually drains to a reservoir. This causes pollution in the watershed.
Governance/ User Characteristics
On the human aspect of things, the construction and use of sidewalks on campus is mostly positive. Donors that fund projects at George Mason University would be more inclined to do so when the university is becoming more ecofriendly, which is socially and economically more attractive. Furthermore, getting rating from institutions that measure George Mason’s sustainability sometimes lead to receiving grant or project money to continue in that path (University Sustainability, n.d.)
Social/Cultural/Economic/Political Settings or Related Ecosystems
In general, there is a social movement throughout the United States to push to become more environmentally friendly. Because of this movement, there is social pressure and market incentives to transition George Mason University to a more efficient campus in many ways. Becoming “greener” in the sense that foot traffic methods are more encouraged than personal vehicle traffic will attract more upcoming college students who want to be involved in environmental science.
What Can We Do?
The implications of sidewalks on humans and the environment are conflicting. On one hand, adding sidewalks in comparison to more roads or parking lots is less devastating to the environment; encouraging the transition from personal vehicle to biking, walking, and scootering as the main form of transportation is more ecofriendly. On the other hand, sidewalks have their own costs for the university by contributing to the increasing urban heat island effects. One way to combat the negative effects is to use better materials for sidewalks that are more pervious or create green spaces on roofs to use untainted stormwater (Kesikoglu and Tolga, 2021).
Relevance
Several environmental classes offered at the university assess urban heat island effects for assignment credit, and that information is available for anyone to report to the Office of Sustainability.
References
Kesikoglu, M. H., Coskun, O., & Tolga, K. (2021). The impact of impervious surface, vegetation, and soil areas on land surface temperatures in a semi-arid region using landsat satellite images enriched with ndaisi method data. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 193(3)https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-08916-3
Construction. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://construction.gmu.edu/taxonomy/term/71
University Sustainability. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://green.gmu.edu/