Financing Cities – Since 2011, I have been studying how cities deal with fiscal problems. This research has involved a detailed case study of the City of Vallejo’s (CA) 2008 bankruptcy. I am now examining current trends in municipal finance and the geographies of municipal debt.

Urban theory – I am interested in foundational urban theory questions: What is the city? What makes the city political? What determines the future of cities? My current work in this area considers the contemporary relationship between cities and democracy and the epistemology of urban theory.

Gentrification – My doctoral work was some of the first to theorize and research “new-build gentrification”. Based on research in London, UK, this work attempted to understand new forms of neighborhood social change and develop a critique New Labour’s social mix policies.

Urban sustainability – What does the idea of urban social sustainability mean and how does it impact government and non-governmental practices? I examining these questions by looking how social sustainability policies had emerged in how Sydney, Australia and Vancouver, Canada.