Department of Geography and Planning

Education

Ph.D., Geography, University of Arizona, 2018

M.P.P., Public Policy, University of Maryland, 2009

B.Sc., Environmental Science, McNeese State University, 2006

B.Sc., Environmental Science, St. Xavier’s College, Nepal, 2003

Background

I am a human-environment geographer with research interests in urban climate resilience, nature-based solutions for climate risk management, climate change adaptation, food system, and agroforestry. My research integrates social and ecological dimensions through system-based frameworks. As an interdisciplinary scholar, I use a wide variety of tools and techniques including spatial analysis, econometric modeling, data science, mixed methods, and policy analysis. Some of my current projects include windbreaks and climate risk management, air quality of small towns, and tree crops for the future climate in the US and South Asia.

My CV (click HERE).

My “Sustainable Transition Lab” website (click HERE).

Courses

• PLN 2410: Town, City and Regional Planning
• PLN 4030/5030: Planning for Climate Resilience
• PLN 4460/5460: Environmental Policy and Planning
• PLN4700: Planners in Action
• GHY 1012: Global Change of the Biosphere
• GHY 2300: Mountain Environments and People
• GHY 5150: Seminar in GIScience

Publications

Miller, T.*, Schroeder, K., Thapa, B., & Shay, E. (2024). Barriers to access to local produce in an early childhood setting in rural Appalachia. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(1), 1-15.

Schado, T.*, Shay, E., Thapa, B., & Combs, T. S. (2024). Preparing for Connected and Automated Vehicles: Insights from North Carolina Transportation Professionals. Sustainability, 16(20), 8747. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208747

Ryan, S. C.*, Sugg, M. M., Runkle, J. D., & Thapa, B. (2024). Advancing understanding on greenspace and mental health in young people. GeoHealth, 8(3), e2023GH000959.  https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH000959

Terasaki Hart, D. E., Yeo, S., Almaraz, M., Beillouin, D., Cardinael, R., Garcia, E., ... Thapa, B., Wood, S., & Cook-Patton, S. C. (2023). Priority science can accelerate agroforestry as a natural climate solution. Nature Climate Change, 13(11), 1179-1190. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01810-5

Thapa, B., Lovell, S., & Wilson, J. (2023). Remote sensing and machine learning applications for aboveground biomass estimation in agroforestry systems: a review. Agroforestry Systems, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00850-2  

Thapa, B., Lovell, S., Revord, R., Owens, P., Gold, M., & Meier, N. (2023). Significant opportunities for tree crop expansion on marginal lands in the Midwest, USA. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12080

Kronenberg, R., Lovell, S., Thapa, B., Spinka, C., Valdivia, C., Gold, M., & Bardhan, S. (2023). Survey of Missouri Landowners to Explore the Potential of Woody Perennials to Integrate Conservation and Production. Land, 12(10), 1911. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101911

Reynolds, H.L., Mincey, S., Montoya, R. D., Hamlin, S., Sullivan, A., Thapa, B., Wilson, J., Rosing, H., Jarzen, J., & Grove, M. (2021). Green infrastructure for urban resilience: a trait-based framework. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 1540-9295, https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1840962

Thapa, B., Banerjee, A., Wilson, J., & Hamlin, S. (2021). Strategic placement of urban agriculture: A spatial optimization approach. Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/uar2.20019

Thapa, B., & Rahman, T. (2021). Multi-level determinants of crop choice to water stress in smallholder irrigation system of Central Nepal. Climate and Development, 13:7, 581-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1840962

Thapa, B., & Scott, C. A. (2019). Institutional Strategies for Adaptation to Water Stress in Farmer-Managed Irrigation Systems of Nepal. International Journal of the Commons, 13(2), 892–908. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijc.901

Merrey, D. J., Hussain, A., Tamang, D. D., Thapa, B., & Prakash, A. (2018). Evolving high altitude livelihoods and climate change: A study from Rasuwa District, Nepal. Food Security, 10(4), 1055–1071. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-018-0827-y

Scott, C. A., Albrecht, T. R., De Grenade, R., Zuniga-Teran, A., Varady, R. G., & Thapa, B. (2018). Water security and the pursuit of food, energy, and earth systems resilience. Water International, 43(8), 1055–1074. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2018.1534564 [Water International Best Paper Award for 2018]

Mills-Novoa, M., Borgias, S. L., Crootof, A., Thapa, B., de Grenade, R., & Scott, C. A. (2017). Bringing the Hydrosocial Cycle into Climate Change Adaptation Planning: Lessons from Two Andean Mountain Water Towers. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 107(2),
393–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2016.1232618

Vij, S., Moors, E., Ahmad, B., Md. Arfanuzzaman, Bhadwal, S., Biesbroek, R., Gioli, G., Groot, A., Mallick, D., Regmi, B., Saeed, B. A., Ishaq, S., Thapa, B., Werners, S. E., & Wester, P. (2017). Climate adaptation approaches and key policy characteristics: Cases from South Asia.
Environmental Science & Policy, 78, 58–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.09.007

Thapa, B., Scott, C., Wester, P., & Varady, R. (2016). Towards characterizing the adaptive capacity of farmer-managed irrigation systems: Learnings from Nepal. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 21, 37–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2016.10.005

de Grenade, R., House-Peters, L., Scott, C., Thapa, B., Mills-Novoa, M., Gerlak, A., & Verbist, K. (2016). The nexus: Reconsidering environmental security and adaptive capacity. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 21, 15–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2016.10.009