Social and ecological feedback in greening behavior 1.0.0
We construct an agent-based model to investigate and understand the roles of green attachment (which encompasses place attachment and biophilia), engagement in local ecological investment (i.e., greening), and social feedback (where individuals who observe greening become more likely to engage in it). We model this socio-ecological feedback process, basing our parameters and assumptions on real-world data and grounding our model in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans.
Greening (i.e., investment in local ecological infrastructure) differs from other types of investment in that it can be observed by others and it is known to have a wide range of effects on health and well-being. We have created an agent-based model with realistic assumptions about the causes and effects of greening behavior to test whether positive feedback resulting from observing and experiencing green environments contributes to higher levels of greening and greater well-being.
We start with realistic assumptions about place attachment and willingness to make green investments in local areas to explore the role of social feedback on greening behavior and recovery from disaster. By varying initial levels of household investment behavior and green attachment, we can see the unique role of social feedback in greening outcomes. This is part of a larger project to isolate the components of the virtuous cycles and positive feedback loops contributing to improved outcomes that result from greening after disaster.