Miriam Greenberg

Miriam Greenberg is Professor of Sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she co-directs the Center for Critical Urban and Environmental Studies. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center and a BA in Urban Studies from Eugene Lang College at the New School for Social Research. Her academic career focuses on urban studies, political ecology, and sustainability, with particular attention to how cities are branded and marketed during times of crisis.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Sociology with Highest Distinction, City University of New York (2000)
• B.A. in Urban Studies with a minor in Media Studies, Eugene Lang College at the New School for Social Research (1986)

Greenberg's research interests span social theory, urban studies, geography, political ecology, disaster and crisis studies, sustainability studies, media and cultural studies, social movements, and housing. She has conducted extensive research on New York City, New Orleans, Buenos Aires, and California, focusing on the intersections of urban development, environmental challenges, and social justice. Her work critically examines how urban branding strategies legitimize market-based solutions over social objectives, particularly during fiscal and environmental crises.

Her recent scholarly output demonstrates a clear trajectory toward examining the intersection of housing crises, climate change, and urban sustainability. Greenberg's work increasingly focuses on California's unique challenges, particularly the entanglement of housing affordability, wildland-urban interface expansion, and climate vulnerability. She has developed a critical framework for understanding urban unsustainability through relational geographies that connect seemingly disparate urban challenges, with significant implications for policy and community action.

Her notable recognition includes:

• Winner of the 2009 Robert Park Book Award for best Community and Urban Sociology book for "Branding New York: How a City in Crisis Was Sold to the World"

Greenberg serves as Principal Investigator on the UCOP Climate Action Research Initiative project "WUI Research for Resilience: Addressing California's Climate, Conservation, and Housing Crisis." She has undertaken engaged research projects including the Critical Sustainabilities project (https://critical-sustainabilities.ucsc.edu/) and "No Place Like Home," which examines the affordable housing crisis in Santa Cruz County (http://noplacelikehomeucsc.org/). She also serves on the editorial board of the IJURR Studies in Urban and Social Change book series at University of California Press, contributing to the scholarly discourse on urban transformations.

Her research teams operate at the intersection of academic inquiry and community engagement, with recent work involving partnerships examining California's climate, conservation, and housing challenges. She has co-authored significant works with scholars like Kevin Fox Gotham and Penny Lewis, and her Critical Sustainabilities project represents an ongoing collaborative effort focused on urban and environmental justice issues in California, emphasizing the importance of public-facing scholarship that directly addresses community needs.