Planning with, and for, the community

For urban planner and geographer Mahbubur Meenar, Ph.D., there's much more to planning than buildings, roads and blueprints.

His work in post-industrial cities like Camden, Jersey City and Philadelphia focuses on sustainable development and giving individuals a voice within communities.

"Though we live in a built environment, how humans interact with nature is really important," Meenar said. "You need to prioritize the people affected by the plan for their community."

Originally an architect, Meenar shifted his focus to planning after emigrating from Bangladesh. He studied urban planning at SUNY Buffalo and, as an urban planner, focuses on environmental issues, equity, community health and well-being.

Before joining Rowan's faculty in 2016, Meenar worked at the Center for Sustainable Communities at Temple University where he earned his Ph.D. in Geography and Urban Studies.

Meenar's current research focuses on four tracks: Community food systems and food security, green and blue infrastructure, sustainable development, and digital technologies and societies.

Meenar engages students in research in the classroom as well as in the Community Planning + Visualization Lab that he directs. His Planning Studio class won the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association's Outstanding Student Project Award three times (2019, 2021, 2023) for semester-long projects on stormwater management, park access and food insecurity in Camden and Glassboro. He also received the N.J. A.P.A.'s Outstanding Community Engagement and Education Award in 2022 for his community-focused work in Camden.

Much of his recent work has focused on Camden's stormwater, parks, heat islands and food insecurity problems.

"Outside the city, people know very well about the crime, drugs and other issues that Camden residents face. Less well known are environmental justice issues that residents of newer, wealthier communities do not have to worry about," he said. "I feel it's incumbent upon planning academics and researchers in a public university to partner with local organizations to develop solutions."

As lead or co-principal investigator on numerous projects before and since coming to Rowan, Meenar has secured more than $1 million from federal, state and local organizations​. He's published 38 peer-reviewed journal articles, seven book chapters and numerous technical reports and articles.

Meenar is leading two projects sponsored by NASA and U.S. EPA. While the $300,000 NASA project is focused on urban and precision agriculture at the state level, the $100,000 EPA project is dedicated to environmental education on Camden's air pollution and green infrastructure. He recently completed another NASA-funded research project, comparing greenspace equity in Camden and Jersey City. The first article from that study is published in the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.

"I am also currently involved in a few other projects as a co-PI, focusing on New Jersey's new state plan, food insecurity in Atlantic City and Bridgeton, and lead contamination in Camden's stormwater," he said.

Meenar is an associate professor in the Department of Geography, Planning & Sustainability in the School of Earth & Environment.

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