Dr. David Casagrande
southwest water
STEPS Building, Room 436
Lehigh University
1 West Packer Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Tel: (610) 758-2672
In 2002 I was hired as a post-doctoral research associate with the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) project at Arizona State University. This project studies metropolitan Phoenix as an urban ecosystem, including how human behavior, institutions and social processes interact with non-human systems. My work has focused on human behavior and institutional policy regarding the use and conservation of water. We designed a controlled experiment in which we changed neighborhood landscaping to study the effects of vegetation, microclimate, productivity, and animal communities on human knowledge, behavior and social networks. Residents preferred high water-use landscapes over dry landscapes for their own yards, even though they considered desert landscapes to be aesthetically pleasing. Women and longer-term residents of the area were significantly more averse to dry landscapes. Stronger environmental attitudes did not lead to preference for dry landscapes, but did lead to compromises on the amount of turf grass preferred in lush landscapes. This may contribute to the "oasis" mentality commonly found among area residents.
In another project, I am analyzing nearly 100 hours of transcribed interview data I collected in the Phoenix area to determine how people use cultural themes to evade cognitive dissonance regarding their water-intensive lifestyles. Again, the "oasis" theme is a prevalent compromise. From the outset, these research projects have been integrated into regional water policy through my participation in Arizona State University's Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC). Applying techniques from information ecology reveals how cognitive dissonance, belief systems and relationships of power preclude critical information from entering the policy discourse.
How my research is funded
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Current Positions
Professor of Anthropology, Lehigh University
Dept of Sociology/Anthropology
Teaching Faculty, Environmental Studies
Research Faculty, Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience
Faculty Affiliate: Cognitive Science and Latin American/Latino Studies
Lehigh University Representative to the United Nations
Degrees
Ph.D., University of Georgia, Ecological Anthropology
Master of Forest Science, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
B.S., Geography, Southern Connecticut State University
Languages
ENGLISH - primary, SPANISH - secondary, TZELTAL (Maya) - intermediate, GERMAN - ich bin ein beginner
"An open mind requires an open heart."