519-888-4567, ext. 47657
james.nugent@uwaterloo.ca
Environment 1, room 202
My research examines how the transition towards a “green” economy is constituted through social movement struggles over employment, racism, and gender oppression, including competing socio- cultural constructions of nature and the city. My community-based, action-oriented research has analyzed and contributed to coalitions of environmental, labour, and social justice groups that are shaping policies on climate change, environmental infrastructure, and urban economic renewal. My analysis extends the insights of labour geography by understanding uneven development and the production of urban space as socio-ecological processes that are contested by a wide-range of social movement actors.
I am passionate about teaching about a range of topics: urban planning; social movements; environmental economics; labour studies; environmental policy; and effective communication. I often employ problem-based inquiry methods and partner with community groups for service-based learning. My future project is to engage students groups on campus with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals through the "living labs" model.