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Sawyer McCarley

Sawyer McCarley

Community and regional planner focused on resilience, mapping, and recovery

Austin, Texas
utexas+1
Joined June 2026
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Summary

Practitioner of disaster recovery and community resilience who has applied geospatial tools in the field — worked with FEMA as an Interagency Recovery Coordinator and engaged directly with communities affected by events such as the Yellowstone Flood (Montana) in 2022. gapstrategies+1
Researcher and contributor to volunteered geographic information (VGI) initiatives — served as a YouthMappers Research Fellow and co-authored work on Volunteered Mapping and Data Governance in the Americas, focusing on how crowdmapping can support official cartographies and decision-making. clemson+2
Emerging urban designer and planner with academic recognition — completed a master's in Community & Regional Planning at UT Austin and produced an awarded thesis titled "The Viaduct Plan," signaling a focus on post-disaster urban design interventions and community-centered planning. utexas
Student leader and practitioner who bridges sociology, design, and geospatial practice — held leadership roles such as President of ClemsonMappers and engaged in interdisciplinary internships that combine social research with mapping and planning. clemson+1

Work

Education

Projects

Writing

The Viaduct Plan: An Analysis of Community Response for Proposed Design Intervention Following Hurricane Helene Within Western North Carolina

January 1, 2025

Master's thesis/professional report analyzing community responses to proposed post-disaster urban design interventions; recognized with an APA award at UT Austin.

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Volunteered Mapping and Data Governance in the Americas

January 1, 2021

Report examining how crowdmapping and volunteered geographic information can complement official cartographies across the Americas; includes case studies, findings, and recommendations for institutional collaboration and spatial data infrastructure.

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Open Mapping with Official Cartographies in the Americas

January 1, 2021

Academic/technical paper exploring connections between volunteered mapping data and government cartographers, co-authored with a team of student researchers and faculty.

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Hobbies

Enjoys cooking and weekend biking. gapstrategies

Active on Instagram (private profile: sawyer.mcc). instagram