Dr. Julia Nevárez

I consider the city -- like Robert Park from the Chicago School of Sociology – a laboratory of human behavior and as such integrate the sociological imagination into the observation of human life. My research integrates an interdisciplinary perspective to understand the complexity of social life. My areas of expertise focus on urban development, public space, and climate change. I am currently working on my next book about smart city urban development, big data, and algorithms that impinge upon policy generation and application towards sustainability and quality of life issues. Moreover, the book seeks to advance the notion of :digital urbanity: our simultaneous engagement with digital platforms in urban space. I am a reviewer for the Journal of Urban Affairs and for the Hong Kong Research Council social science grants. I have been an Executive Board Member of the Urban Affairs Association, Past President of the Environmental Design Research Association and the Phi Kappa Phi, Kean University Chapter and current member of the European Urban Research Association. I consider teaching a privilege and myself a facilitator of learning to the diverse student constituency at Kean University.. I am an advocate for education and an avid cyclist.