Research

I use mixed methods to study the sociological side of urban design, planning, and technology. These days, I mostly study things.

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Things are always more interesting than we think, especially the boring ones. They have all kinds of ideas about society embedded in them. I study big things, like vacant suburban homes and lawns in public parks, but I also study small things, like folding chairs and mobile phones.

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I also occasionally publish research on the sociology of culture and the media. Here is some recent and not-so-recent research I’ve been working on, in case you’re interested:

  • Micromobility NYC-2025. This report, co-authored with my brilliant colleague Xuemeng Li, is based on systematic observations of over 1,700 “micromobility” vehicles at 150+ intersections across New York City by a team of trained observers. Among other things, we found that deliveristas are the nicest riders, protected bike lanes make people more law abiding, and micromobility is structured by race and gender in ways that need more study. (Click here for a downloadable / printable pdf version.)
  • In The Midst of Things: The Social Life of Objects in the Public Spaces of New York City. This book tells the story of six different objects found in the public spaces of New York City and its suburbs. It was published by Princeton University Press in 2022. Buy a copy here.
    • The book has received a number of generous reviews at Social Forces, Contemporary Sociology,  Journal of Urban Affairs, and elsewhere. I’m sure an ungenerous review will eventually be written, but so far, so good. 🙂 These reviews make great reading material for students who want to impress me by pretending to have read my book. (hint hint)
    • And if you are a podcast fan and/or masochist, you can listen to me talking about the book here.
  • The Subway as Fourth Place: Anomie, Flanerie, and the ‘Crush of Persons’, with colleagues Peter Tuckel and Bill Milzarski and a talented group of applied social research graduate students. We sent our students into the subway to ride the rails and make systematic observations on subway etiquette. (Are you a “pole hog?”) The fancy academic version came out in Applied Mobilities in 2018, but the research project got some media coverage before that:
    • My colleague Bill Milzarski and I were on the NY1 show In Transit this spring talking about this research. (by the way, being on TV is no fun, and seeing yourself on TV is even worse.)
    • This research was also picked up by CBS Local, and the Daily News.