معرفی
Claire Herbert serves as Associate Professor of Sociology within the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon, where she examines the intersections of urban property systems, housing insecurity, and racialized spatial control. Her research bridges sociological theory with urgent policy questions surrounding homelessness criminalization and informal land use in post-industrial American cities.
Her academic foundation includes a B.S. in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Oregon and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan (2016), followed by an Assistant Professorship at Drexel University before joining UO. This trajectory informs her empirically grounded approach to urban inequality.
Professor Herbert's scholarship centers on how marginalized populations navigate property regimes through practices like squatting and informal gardening, particularly in contexts of urban decline. She investigates the colonial logics embedded in Rust Belt revitalization policies and documents how enforcement of housing regulations exacerbates homelessness. Her work consistently highlights race as a constitutive element of property relations and urban governance, revealing how legal frameworks perpetuate spatial exclusion.
Analysis of her recent publications shows a methodological shift toward mixed-methods NSF-funded research, with increasing focus on comparative urban analysis across Detroit, Boston, and Miami. Her output demonstrates growing engagement with policy audiences, particularly regarding the unintended consequences of homelessness criminalization and the viability of informal housing as affordable solutions.
Currently leading qualitative fieldwork for the NSF project "Informality and Inequality in the Global North," Professor Herbert examines how regulatory environments shape informal infill housing production. This $750,000 collaborative study investigates the tension between housing justice imperatives and bureaucratic enforcement mechanisms in two major metropolitan areas, positioning her at the forefront of critical urban housing scholarship.
