Urban Studies

Coordinators: Al Hunter ahunter and
             Ness Sandoval j-sandoval
Student Coordinator: Victoria Vasquez v-vasquez

The Urban Studies workshop focuses on cities as both a subject of inquiry and the framing context for a variety of social phenomena.  These include the natural and built environment, networks of interaction and institutional structures, and the symbolic and cultural meanings constructed and constraining urban life. Spatial scales range from local communities to metropolitan areas and the global system of cities. Temporal scales range from historical issues of urbanizing populations to contemporary issues of political/economic development and patterns of inequality.   Methods range from quantitative analysis of census data to local urban ethnographies.  Graduate students are encouraged to present their own research, along with occasional invited speakers. Generally meets every other week.