William Stewart

Prof. William Stewart is a Professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds a PhD in Watershed Management and Forestry from the University of Arizona. His research focuses on community-based conservation, park development, and the intersection of human well-being with environmental landscapes.

Research Interests: His work emphasizes understanding place meanings, community resilience, and the integration of socio-cultural values into ecological planning. Stewart collaborates with interdisciplinary teams including ecologists, economists, and urban planners to address landscape change and resource management challenges. Recent projects include the Chicago Large Lot Program (assessing urban greenspace impact) and rural community resilience in protected grasslands.

Teaching: Stewart teaches courses like RST 393/594 on Community Conservation and Restoration, emphasizing regional-scale planning for mixed-use landscapes. He co-leads the Park and Environmental Behavior (PEB) Research Lab, guiding over 10 graduate and undergraduate researchers.

Affiliations: Affiliated with the Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, and Landscape Architecture. His work is funded by USDA, National Park Service, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants.

Labs/Teams: Directs the PEB Lab, which focuses on participatory conservation methods, sense of place studies, and urban-rural interface dynamics. Collaborations span international institutions like Beijing Forestry University and Tongji University.