Cerianne Robertson researches how power is formed, networked, wielded, and challenged in contests over cities’ futures. Part of her work focuses on spectacular urban development projects and spectacular sports mega-events, rich sites for analysis because they intensify debate about a city’s trajectory, revealing competing values and spatial imaginaries. A complementary component of her work focuses on everyday, sustained struggles for survival and dignity, which reveal both mechanisms of spatial and social inequality and potential pathways toward more just urban spaces.
Robertson’s PhD dissertation investigates the politics of stadium-centered development in LA in the context of the region’s preparations to host the Olympics in 2028.