Dr. Mandarano is an Associate Professor, Planning and Community Development in the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University. Dr. Mandarano served as Department Chair from 2015-2018. She routinely teaches in the BS Community Development and MS City and Regional Planning programs covering topics such as Community Engagement and Empowerment, Sustainable Community Design and Development, Placemaking, Collaborative Planning and capstone Workshops and Studios. She also worked with Dr. Mary Myers (LAHort) to develop and co-teach a General Education (Gen Ed) course, The Science of Sustainable Design: A Focus on Philadelphia. In January 2009, Dr. Mandarano and her co-teachers were honored with a Gen Ed Team Teaching Award.
She is very active promoting sustainable development at Temple University. In 2016, she served as the Acting Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities. Earlier in her career at Temple University, she served as the founding co-chair of the Ambler Campus Sustainability Council and as a member of the President Hart’s Sustainability Task Force. Dr. Mandarano also is active in local sustainability initiatives. She was a board member of Green Village Philadelphia and a founding member of the steering committee responsible for the monthly public lecture series, the Urban Sustainability Forum for a Sustainable Philadelphia, at the Academy of Natural Sciences.
In recognition of her service, Temple University honored Dr. Mandarano with the Outstanding Faculty Service Award in October 2011.
Dr. Mandarano received her Ph.D in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania building upon more that 20 years of experience working in the environmental engineering and planning field. She joined Temple’s Department of Planning and Community Development in 2005. Her research focuses on understanding how communities and regions build governance capacity to address pressing environmental and social issues. Her work has been published in, for example, the Journal of Planning Literature, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Journal of Planning Education and Research, Planning Practice and Research, Society and Natural Resources and Water Policy.
Publications
Mandarano, L. (2024). “Remembering and Storytelling: Community engagement through a service-learning partnership.” Journal of Community Practice. Published Online July 30, 2024. DOI:10.1080/10705422.2024.2385630
Mandarano, L. 2023. “Empowering Emerging Leaders: A model public planning academy.” Community Development Journal. Published Online December 26, 2023. DOI:10.1093/cdj/bsad037
Mandarano, L. 2023. “Elevating Community Voice: Community Engagement in Planning Studio” in Routledge Handbook of University-Community Partnerships in Planning Education, eds. Megan Heim LaFrombois and Jay Mittal. Routledge Press. ISBN 9781032389875
Meenar, M. and L. Mandarano. 2021. “Using Photovoice and Emotional Maps to Understand Transitional Urban Neighborhoods.” Cities. V118, November 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103353
Christman, Z, M. Meenar, L. Mandarano, and K. Hearing. 2018 “Prioritizing Suitable Locations for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Based on Social Factors in Philadelphia.” Land. Vol 7 (4: Special Issue Landscape Urbanism and Green Infrastructure)
Mandarano, L. and M. Meenar. 2017. “Equitable Distribution of Green Stormwater Infrastructure: A Capacity-based Framework for Implementation in Disadvantaged Communities.” Local Environment. Published Online First July 3, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2017.1345878
Mandarano, L. and M. Meenar. 2015. “e-Participation: Comparing Trends in Practice and the Classroom.” Planning Practice and Research. Vol. 30 (4) 457-475.DOI:10.1080/02697459.2015.1017933
Mandarano, L. 2015. “Civic Engagement Capacity Building: An Assessment of the Citizen Planning Academy Model of Public Outreach and Education.” Journal of Planning Education and Research. Vol. 35 (2) 174-187. DOI:10.1177/0739456X14566869
Stokes, R., L. Mandarano and R. Dilworth. 2014. “Community-Based Organizations in City Environmental Policy Regimes: Lessons from Philadelphia.” Local Environment. 19:4, 402-416. DOI:10.1080/13549839.2013.788484
Welker, A., L. Mandarano, K. Greising and K. Hankins. 2013. “Application of a Monitoring Plan for Stormwater Control Measures in the Philadelphia Region.” Journal of Environmental Engineering. 139:8, 1108-1118. DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000714
Mandarano, L. and R. Mason. 2013 “Adaptive Management and Governance of Delaware River Water Resources.” Water Policy. 15:3, 364–385. DOI:10.2166/wp.2012.077
Mandarano, L. and K. Paulsen. 2011. “Governance Capacity of Collaborative Watershed Partnerships: Evidence from the Philadelphia Region.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 54:10, 1293-1313. DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2011.572694
Mandarano, L. 2011. “Clean Waters, Clean City: Sustainable Stormwater Management in Philadelphia” in Sustainability in America’s Cities: Creating the Green Metropolis, ed., Matt Slavin. Island Press.
Mandarano, L., M. Meenar, and C. Steins. 2010. “Building Social Capital in the Digital Age.” Journal of Planning Literature special issue on Communicative Cities: 25:2,123-135. DOI:10.1177/0885412210394102
Mandarano, L. 2010. “Sustainable Land-use Planning: Revitalizing a flood prone office park.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 53:2, 183-196. DOI 10.1080/09640560903529584.
Mandarano, L. 2009. “Social Network Analysis of Social Capital in Collaborative Planning.” Society and Natural Resources. 22:3, 245-260. DOI 10.1080/08941920801922182.
Mandarano, L. 2008. “Evaluating Collaborative Environmental Planning Outputs and Outcomes: Restoring and Protecting Habitat and the New York New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program.” Journal of Planning Education and Research. 27:4,456-469. DOI: 10.1177/0739456X08315888
Mandarano, L., J. Featherstone and K. Paulsen. 2008. “Institutions for Interstate Water Resources Management.” Journal of American Water Resources Association. 44:1,136-147. DOI:10.1111/j.1752-1688.2007.00143.x
Book Reviews
“Dealing with Differences: Dramas of Mediating Public Disputes.” John Forester. New York: Oxford University Press 2009 in Journal of Planning Theory. November, 2012: 11 435-436.
“The Living Landscape”, second edition and “The Fundamentals of Land Development” in Journal of Planning and Education Research. Summer (June) 2009.