Last fall, more than 60 School of Public Policy students went door-to-door in Hyattsville, Maryland asking residents about climate impacts in their community. The data they collected is now helping to inform the city’s Climate Action Plan.
Professor Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz led the survey through the School’s Stern Civic Engagement Lab and reached 431 residents. Students in PLCY306: Policy Analysis in Action collected responses, analyzed the data and developed recommendations, which were incorporated into the topline results and findings.
The Hyattsville project followed a similar student-led effort in the nearby town of Brentwood in 2024 where survey findings were used to support their climate planning. After that work, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Prince George’s County Planning Department partnered with the Lab and the city of Hyattsville to carry out the Hyattsville survey. Students offered residents the option to complete it on a tablet at the door or later through a QR code, with additional outreach through community listservs and city communications.
The findings identify a clear set of challenges. Extreme heat was the most pressing climate concern, with respondents reporting effects on mental and physical health. At the same time, many expressed interest in making their homes more resilient but said they lack the information or financial resources to do so. Transportation patterns show a similar gap between interest and infrastructure, with many residents indicating they would drive less if bike lanes were safer and better connected.
For Pearson-Merkowitz, the role of the project is to make those findings clear and useful for decision-makers. “This project was specifically designed to provide the consultant and the city of Hyattsville with a clear map of resident needs, barriers and preferences,” she said.
That focus on data collection is intentional. The survey was designed to capture a broader range of voices than traditional public meetings typically reach, where participation can skew toward a narrower segment of residents. “When cities rely solely on traditional engagement methods like town halls or small-scale forums, they often fall victim to selection bias,” Pearson-Merkowitz said. “By conducting a comprehensive survey and analyzing subsets of data, we can determine whether climate impacts and resource awareness are experienced uniformly or if they differ significantly by constituency.”
That approach gives policymakers a clearer picture of where gaps exist. If certain residents are more affected by extreme heat but less aware of available resources, outreach can be adjusted. If barriers to home upgrades are concentrated in specific communities, policy responses can be shaped around those constraints.
For students, the experience shifts how they understand the work of policy. “The participation of PLCY306 students in this active policy process provides a critical bridge between theoretical concepts and the practical realities of governance,” Pearson-Merkowitz said. “They learn that effective policy is not just about identifying a ‘good idea,’ but about tailoring that idea to the lived experiences of residents and the actual constraints of local government.”
