Money matters with Dr. Amy Glasmeier

Amy Glasmeier is professor of Economic Geography and Regional Planning. She runs LRISA, the lab on Regional Innovation and Spatial Analysis, in DUSP. Glasmeier is also a Founding Editor of the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, a journal which publishes multi-disciplinary international research on the spatial dimensions of contemporary socio-economic-political change. 

Glasmeier's research focuses economic opportunities for communities and individuals through the investigation of the role of geographic access and the effect of locational accident on human development. She won a 2018 grant from the National Science Foundation for her Collaborative Research on Understanding the benefits and mitigating the risks of interdependence in critical infrastructure systems. Recent awards include the  Fellow award from American Association of Geographers (December 2017) and the MIT Office of the Dean for Graduate Education Receipt of the Award from the “Committed to Caring” campaign (2017).

She is writing a textbook on the Geography of the Global Energy Economy. Her other project, "Good Bye American Dream" traces the ideology of opportunity that undergirds America's relationship to the poor. Through analysis of census data, popular media, and personal narratives, Glasmeier is exploring the contradictions in the most sacred of constructs by demonstrating the ephemeral nature of economic opportunity encumbered by locational accident, institutional inertia, and the unintended consequences of public policy. The work builds off of her long running Living Wage Calculator, which analyzes the minimum level of income required for individuals and families to pay for basic living expenses. Recent press includes an interview on MIT Spectrum.

Glasmeier holds a professional Masters and PhD in Regional from UC Berkeley and currently serves as Associate Planning Board Member in the Town of Cohasset.