Tenley Conway

My Research Interests

My research integrates insights from environmental geography, environmental studies, and urban ecology to improve our understanding of urban forest governance- including key actors, rules and discourses- and use of geospatial techniques to examine patterns of trees and other urban land covers. Recent SSHRC-funded research has examined (1) residents’ role in urban forest governance, (2) perceptions and experiences with urban forests, and (3) green infrastructure discourse, perceptions and actions in Canada. I am an associate editor of Urban Forestry and Urban Greening and sit on two other editorial boards. I serve as a board member of LEAF, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the urban forest, and I am part of several municipal working groups.

I participate in the following research clusters:

Human-Environment Interactions

Fields of Study

• Environment & Climate
• Policy & Planning
• Urban

Graduate Student Recruitment

I am looking for one or more graduate students interested in urban environmental management, socio- ecological systems, and/or urban forests to work on an SSHRC funded project surveying urban residents about their knowledge, attitudes and actions related to specific green infrastructure features. This is part of a larger project looking to identify barriers to a green infrastructure approach and effective solutions.

Selected Publications

Conway, T.M., C. Ordóñez, L.A. Roman, A. Yuan, H. Pearsall, M. Heckert, S. Dickinson, C. Rosan. 2021. Resident knowledge of and engagement with green infrastructure in Toronto and Philadelphia. Environmental Management doi: 10.1007/s00267-021-01515-5.

Conway, T.M., A. Khan, and N. Esak. 2020. An analysis of green infrastructure in municipal policy: Divergent meaning and terminology in the Greater Toronto Area. Land Use Policy 99: 104864. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104864.

Conway, T.M., A. Almas and D. Coore. 2019. Ecosystem services, ecological integrity, and native species planting: How to balance these ideas in urban forest management? Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 41: 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2019.03.006.

Conway, T.M. and V. Yip. 2016. Assessing residents’ reactions to urban forest disservices: a case study of a major storm event. Landscape and Urban Planning 153: 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.04.016.

Barona, C.O., K. Wolf, J.M. Kowalski, D. Kendal, J.A. Byrne, T.M. Conway. 2022. Diversity in public perceptions of urban forests and urban trees: A critical review. Landscape and Urban Planning 226, 104466 doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104466