Photo Source: A Place for Chapel Hill’s Silent Sam
I spent the 2020 lockdown teaching remotely at the State University of New York (SUNY). During this period, I explored white spatial imaginaries, slavery, and intersectional identities from a regional perspective. Witnessing national policies and the normalized hate speech targeting BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and immigrants influenced my second project in the department—a comparative analysis of two Southern universities. From 2021 to 2022, I conducted a qualitative study utilizing focus groups at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Georgia.
While in my initial research examined how Eurocentric values were transmitted through design choices; in this study, I focused on the manifestation of slavery. The built and natural environments of flagship southern public universities remain connected to the Northern institutions via their lineage of white supremacy. I aimed to capture how marginalized groups experienced the pandemic, education, and social movements on their campus in the shadows of Confederate statues. My manuscript, “Green Space as a Foundation for Student Wellbeing in Higher Education,” published by Routledge in June 2025, serves as the basis for my current research on race and the environmental history of state parks.
My most recent publication, “Understanding Student Experience of Campus Green Space Post COVID-19,” was published in the Journal of American College Health. The suburban university, with its expansive landscape, served as an interesting case study of the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC experiences at a predominantly white institution. At this campus, there was a noticeable racial aspect to how students navigated this environment; therefore, feedback from non-white participants provided unique insights regarding the relationship between engagement with green space and marginalized identities. In “Intersectional Identities, Inequality, and Public Green Space“, I translate my scholarship into a policy proposal on inclusive planning practices.
This work inspired my current project, which explores shared outdoor spaces and unleashed dogs in Massachusetts. By reflecting on historical aspects of dog ownership—like policing and social control—this study uses surveys and interviews to better understand the gendered and racialized experiences involved. I also plan to examine how gentrification in East Boston has influenced people’s connections to green spaces and water.
Vanita Naidoo 