Policy, Planning & Development Research
How do policies, initiatives, and planning improve social outcomes, reduce inequity, and foster environmental well-being? How should urban greening initiatives be best designed? What policies improve access to housing or effectively conserve global biodiversity? Research by faculty and students in ESS addresses these and other pressing questions that inform policymakers, planners, and community stakeholders on effective strategies to tackle complex societal challenges. This research examines policies at multiple scales (e.g., local, regional, national, international) using an array of qualitative and quantitative methods, including policy analysis, causal inference, and qualitative fieldwork. We maintain partnerships with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private sector stakeholders to ensure work is relevant to real-world challenges. Research areas include the politics of planning and development, energy policy, land use, foreign policy, transportation, sustainability, and economic development.
Policy, Planning & Development Faculty
Assistant Professor
Development, Political Ecology, Cultural Anthropology, Critical Geopolitics, Energy Transition, Infrastructure, Tibet & the Himalaya, Southeast Asia, China
Associate Professor of Geography
Political Ecology, Energy and Environmental Governance, Urban Policies, Environmental
Justice, Cultural Geography, Latin America
Assistant Professor; Department of Economics and School of Environment, Society, & Sustainability
Professor
Geomorphology, Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, Geoarchaeology, Arid Lands, Petroleum Geology
Professor
Director, Urban and Sustainability Research Lab (USRL)
Economic/Urban Geography; Global, Urban, and Regional Development; Regional Science and Spatial Analysis, China