Academics for Land Protection in New England (ALPINE) hosted a series of webinars this fall in lieu, during the COVID pandemic, of an in-person annual meeting. These webinars featured faculty collaborations with land conservation organizations and current research pertinent to land conservation.
Assessing Local Economic Impacts and Opportunities for Land Protection in New England
Katharine Sims, Associate Professor of Economics, Amherst College
Wednesday, December 3, 12:30-1:30 ET
Katharine Sims, Associate Professor in the Economics and Environmental Studies Departments at Amherst College, presents research about the economic impacts of land protection in New England, conducted in collaboration with partners at the Harvard Forest and the Highstead Foundation. The project uses data from towns and cities across New England between 1990 and 2015 to understand how new land protection has affected local area employment and housing permits. She also discusses work in progress seeking to measure disparities in access to nearby open space in New England according to dimensions of social marginalization.
Dr. Sims studies how policies simultaneously affect environmental protection and economic development and how changes in policy design can improve the balance between multiple social goals. She has contributed to long-term evaluations of land conservation policies including protected areas, payments for environmental services, and community forestry in countries including Mexico, Thailand, Nepal, and the U.S.
