Pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree

Research Areas: Economic and urban geography, political economy and ecology

Supervisory Committee: Trevor Barnes (chair), Jamie Peck, and Elvin Wyly

Degrees: BA (First Class, Honours) in Geography and Political Science, University of British Columbia; MPhil in Geographical Research, University of Cambridge

Entry Date: 2021

Research Statement: 

My research is concerned with the changing form and function of urban governance. I am interested in how cities are shaped in relation and response to state policies, market processes, and prescient crises. I explore the ways cities and regions compete for economic growth differently over space and time. This work is situated in urban growth literature, framed through the articulations of urban entrepreneurialism (Harvey, 1989; Leitner, 1990; Hall & Hubbard, 1996), the city as a growth machine (Molotch, 1967; Logan and Molotch, 1987), as well as state theory and political economy (Jessop, 1990, 2002). My scholarship considers the variegated configuration of cities under the sign of austerity, neoliberalization, financialization, and climate change.

Under the supervision of Dr. Mia Gray at the University of Cambridge, my MPhil dissertation built on the aforementioned themes and work I started as an undergraduate at UBC with Dr. Elvin Wyly. At Cambridge, I applied a critical discourse analysis to study the performance and performativity of cities in light of Amazon HQ2 proposals and events.

Recently, my work has sought to examine the rise of platform capitalism in relation to urban governance. Here I look at the role of big data, algorithms and digital technologies in shaping the urban condition. My doctoral dissertation seeks to develop methods to decommodify the long shadow and spatial footprint of platform giants such as Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb. I also have a longstanding interest in bridging urban political economy and ecology together through an analysis of green municipal bonds in austere states.

Current projects and published works include (1) Industrial Districts: urban entrepreneurialism, fast policy, and growth machines; (2) Green Municipal Bonds: climate finance, racial capitalism, and environmental justice; and (3) Gig Economy: platform urbanism, conjunctural geographies, and fair work.

Originally from Vancouver (Coast Salish Territories), I received my BA (First Class, Honours) in Geography and Political Science from the University of British Columbia and an MPhil in Geographical Research from the University of Cambridge.

Please feel free to reach out if you are a prospective student considering the Department of Geography at UBC, or if you would like to collaborate on future projects! – Nico