Project Mentor: Professor Dominic DiFranzo, Computer Science & Engineering
2027 Impact Fellows:
Project Description:
The Lehigh Valley is becoming a magnet for data center development. Its proximity to major East Coast markets, existing power and fiber infrastructure, and available industrial land make it attractive to developers. Proposals for large facilities are now surfacing in municipalities across the region, often moving faster than residents, local officials, and planning boards can fully weigh their implications. This project will give Impact Fellows the chance to research how data centers are reshaping the Lehigh Valley, and to translate that research into resources the community can use. Students will map existing and proposed data center sites and examine the zoning decisions, tax incentives, and public debates surrounding them.
Students will investigate three interrelated questions. First, what are the political dynamics at play, including how municipalities, developers, utilities, and residents negotiate over land use, transparency, and local control? Second, what are the resource demands of these facilities, particularly electricity and water use, and what do they mean for regional grid capacity, utility rates, watersheds, and the Valley’s climate and sustainability goals? Third, how are host communities changing, in terms of jobs, local tax revenue, infrastructure, noise, traffic, and quality of life, and who benefits or bears the costs? The team will draw on public records, planning and zoning documents, utility and regulatory filings, and interviews with municipal officials, community groups, and residents, along with GIS mapping to make findings visual and accessible.
The project will culminate in a public-facing deliverable, such as an interactive map, a plain-language community guide, or a policy brief, designed to help residents and local leaders make informed decisions about future development. Through this work, students will build skills in community-engaged research, data analysis, systems thinking, and public communication, while engaging directly with one of the most consequential and contested land-use questions facing the region. The project invites students from any discipline, including environmental studies, engineering, political science, computer science, and business, who are interested in how the digital economy’s physical footprint is felt in the places where people live.