With a training in economic and urban geography my research is focused on two related themes. The first is the political dynamics of urban development. I am particularly interested in the governance of the city and how we might best understand the processes that enable and promote urban and suburban development. This interest is reflected in a number of research projects, the most recent of which (with Kevin Ward, Manchester) examines the politics of urban revitalization in Lexington, Kentucky.
2021 Kevin Ward and Andrew Wood. “We just need the developer to develop”: Entrepreneurialism, financialization and urban redevelopment in Lexington, Kentucky. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space 39(7): 1471-1491. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544211045082
The second theme is the endemic tension between the mobility and fixity of economic forms, activities and practices. The geographic 'stickiness' of economic activity is key to an ongoing research project, with Nicholas Phelps (University of Melbourne), examining the growth and development of the location consulting industry. Location consultants broker between large firms and communities seeking to attract capital investment. Findings from the research are set out in recent papers in Annals of the AAG, Business History, Journal of Economic Geography and Environment and Planning A.
2022 Nicholas Phelps and Andrew Wood. The business climate and the commodification of place: The making of a market for location. Annals of the American Association of Geographers DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2022.2080635
2021 Nicholas Phelps and Andrew Wood. Market Maker? The Fantus Company and the making of a market for location in the United States. Business History 39(7) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23996544211045082
2018 Nicholas Phelps and Andrew Wood. The business of location: site selection consultants and the mobilisation of knowledge in the location decision. Journal of Economic Geography. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbx016
2018 Nicholas Phelps and Andrew Wood. Promoting the global economy: the uneven development of the location consulting industry. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X17730832
If you have an interest in my research, the current projects or the publications associated with them then please feel free to get in touch.
