Biography
Christopher Oliver's research interests are in the area of urban political ecology, urban and environmental sociology, and issues regarding urban development and state regulatory mechanisms. His past research focuses on issues of environmental pollution and cleanup in both large metropolitan areas and smaller urban centers with an emphasis on federal and state policies and the regulation of the oil and gas industry as well as the use of technological innovation to remediate pollution. He is also interested in the relationship between state policies, private sector investment, and economic development and its consequences on both environmental conditions and localized issues of employment and development. More recently he has been exploring issues of urban development (“gentrification”) as related to housing policy and economic development and the proximity of public housing to environmentally polluted sites (“green gentrification or environmental gentrification”).
EVST courses taught:
Environmental Crime and Security (EVST 3950)
Environmental and Social Justice in NOLA (EVST 4210)
Urban Political Ecology (EVST 4400)
Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies (EVST 4410)
Urban Ethnography and Social Justice (SOCI 4210)