معرفی
Jennifer Mapes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Kent State University, located in Kent, Ohio. Her research focuses on urban sustainability, global change impacts on local outcomes, and small-town redevelopment, particularly in the context of Kent’s downtown revitalization. She holds a B.A. from SUNY Geneseo (2000), an M.S. from Penn State (2005), and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (2009).
Her research interests bridge global and local scales, emphasizing how socio-economic and environmental changes affect small cities. She is currently writing a book titled The New American Small Town, drawing on her dissertation research in Western U.S. towns. Her work integrates qualitative methods and GIS tools to explore community dynamics and sustainable development.
Recent publications highlight her focus on urban sustainability, GIS applications, and small-town resilience. She has collaborated on projects like Main Street Kent’s downtown map kiosks and the Kent GIS database. Notable awards include the 2017 Volunteer of the Year recognition for community engagement.
Her teaching spans Human Geography, Qualitative Methods, and Urban Sustainability. She actively contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives, such as reclaiming urban spaces for sustainability and analyzing voting patterns in small towns through big data.
