Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
John Rennie Short is an expert on urban issues, environmental concerns, globalization, political geography and the history of cartography. He has studied cities around the world, and lectured to a variety of audiences. Recent books include Hosting The Olympic Games: The Real Costs for Cities (2018), The Unequal City (2018), Human Geography (2018, 2nd ed), A Research Agenda for Cities (2017), Urban Theory (2015, 2nd ed.), Stress Testing The USA (2013), Cities and Nature (2013, 2nd ed.) and Globalization, Modernity and The City (2012).
Before coming to UMBC in 2002, he was a Professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. From 1978 to 1990 he taught at the University of Reading UK. He has held visiting appointments as Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University, as the Erasmus Professor at Groningen University and as the Leverhulme Professor at Loughborough University. Among his research fellowships are the Vietor Fellowship at Yale University, the Dibner Fellowship at the Smithsonian, the Kono Fellowship at the Huntington Library and the Andrew Mellon Fellowship at the American Philosophical Society.
Traditional downtowns are dead or dying in many US cities − what's next for these zones?
Sep 26, 2023 03:56 am UTC| Economy
The hollowing out of U.S. cities office and commercial cores is a national trend with serious consequences for millions of Americans. As more people have stayed home following the COVID-19 pandemic, foot traffic has...
Is your city making you fat? How urban planning can address the obesity epidemic
Feb 25, 2020 13:15 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
New disease outbreaks, like the novel coronavirus that recently emerged in Chinas Hubei province, generate headlines and attention. Meanwhile, however, Americans face a slower but much more pervasive health crisis:...
Supreme Court says gerrymandering fix up to voters, not judges
Jun 28, 2019 00:07 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is not unconstitutional. The majority ruled that gerrymandering is outside the scope and power of the federal courts to adjudicate. The issue is...
New York gets serious about traffic with the first citywide US congestion pricing plan
Apr 03, 2019 10:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
After years of debate, New York state has adopted congestion pricing to deal with traffic problems in New York City. Starting in 2021, fees will be imposed on all vehicles entering a pricing zone that covers lower...
A sustainable future begins at ground level
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