LAF Awards $22,500 to Analyze LPS Case Study Briefs
LAF has awarded $22,500 in cooperative agreements to researchers at Utah State University, Temple University, and Kansas State University to analyze the collection of 50+ Case Study Briefs in the Landscape Performance Series (LPS). The researchers will conduct both a content analysis and a quality assessment to: (1) identify gaps in the benefits and methods that are being addressed, (2) identify metrics that could be used to fill those gaps, and (3) make recommendations to improve the validity and reliability of the methods used to enhance the rigor of future LPS case studies.
The content analysis will be led by Principal Investigators Bo Yang, PhD, Utah State University and Mary E. Myers, PhD, Temple University, who will review the Case Study Briefs, create a database of case study information, identify missing or under-investigated benefits, and conduct a literature review of empirical studies to uncover available methods/metrics/tools that could be used to quantify the missing benefits. Products include a database and illustrative guide to the LPS Case Study Briefs and their associated benefits.
The quality assessment will be led by Principal Investigators Bo Yang, Ph.D., Utah State University, Jessica Canfield, Kansas State University, and Tim Keane, Ph.D., Kansas State University, who will evaluate the methods used to quantify performance benefits in the Case Study Briefs. The researchers will evaluate the methods for their technical merit, applicability in a professional context, and overall strengths and weaknesses. The team will also solicit practitioners’ input to better understand what types of data firms are capable of capturing, from what sources, and through what processes. Based on this information, the researchers will make recommendations to improve the rigor of the quantification of benefits and develop guidance on appropriate methods for future landscape performance assessments.
The research conducted as part of these cooperative agreements is expected to take about a year. The results will be published on the LAF website, presented at professional and academic conferences, and disseminated through other peer-reviewed venues.
