The Urban Studies Research Cluster formed in 2007 to enable faculty and graduate students to explore the urban dimension of their research, engage with emerging approaches in the field of urban studies, and address pressing urban issues, both locally and globally. In particular, we engage with three sub-areas that draw on research strengths at UCSC: urban cultural studies, urban environmental studies, and space and social justice. The cluster also aims to provide a fruitful space for urbanists of all stripes —faculty and students, artists and activists, planners, policy makers, and local residents— to come together, share ideas, and collaborate. We do this through monthly meetings, a speaker series, and campus-wide events. Read More
Urban Studies at Santa Cruz
News
Ben Crow of Sociology has published two articles from his work in Nairobi on links between water, women’s work, informal development, and urban space: “Access to water in a Nairobi slum: women’s work and institutional learning” (with Odaba, Edmond) Water International, 35: 6, 733 — 747, 2010. The second is “Measuring Water Collection Times in Kenyan Informal Settlements.” (with James Davis and Julio Miles) 2012.
Julie Guthman of Community Studies has published a new book linking her critique of “localism” and capitalist food systems to the politics of weight: Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism. UC Press. For information click here
