My research and teaching interests focus on how public space is invented or re-imagined and the innovative ideas, technologies, and policies that have transformed the urban landscape — in particular streets, sidewalks, and parks. Within this realm I investigate different but overlapping aspects such as night and lighting, public art, memory and commemoration, trees and the concept of nature, and spatial history. Most of my current work examines these subjects from a historical perspective.
Current research projects include: the history of nighttime and public street lighting; the evolution of the Boston Common from a utilitarian space to treasured park; American pleasure gardens, moving sidewalks, Cogswell fountains, and the cultural life of trees
