Ever wondered where you can find us in action? We were thrilled to discover that the Pappas Real Estate Development Program at NC State has featured our team’s work on their website! It’s a proud moment to see this project spotlighted, especially because it reflects the creativity, persistence, and collaboration that went into it.

This effort was led by Kayla Gilligan, Kairavi Garde, and Mickey Fearn, who developed a door-to-door survey protocol aimed at understanding how residents perceive infill development and its impact on their sense of place. The team pioneered innovative spatial interview techniques—inviting residents to guide us virtually through their current and former neighborhoods using Google Earth. These interviews provided a deeply personal lens on how urban change shapes everyday life.

While the city code changes we were studying were relatively new—and the scope of our project evolved in ways none of us had initially imagined—the results laid a solid foundation. We now have a rich collection of baseline interviews, along with a survey and mapping protocol that future researchers can build on.

Although I wasn’t out in the field as often as some of the students, I still learned a lot—about Raleigh, about people, and about how connected we all are. One day I knocked on the door of a parent from my child’s daycare. Another time, we met neighbors who knew Roger and Annette Moore, two beloved (and now retired) colleagues from NC State’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management.

We’re proud of this work, and we’re excited for what comes next. Check out the feature and learn more about the project here:
🔗 https://communitygrowthnc.ncsu.edu/team/

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue exploring the intersection of urban growth, community voice, and spatial storytelling.