The RSA Ambassador to USA is Michael Glass, Director of the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh.
As the United States ambassador for the RSA, it’s my pleasure to assist anyone who wants to address the unruly, diverse, and essential set of regionalisms that exist across the country. I look forward to working with existing and prospective members of the Regional Studies Association in amplifying and extending their research activities. I am originally from Aotearoa/New Zealand, where my understanding of and appreciation for regional studies was informed largely by the debates and research occurring there and in the United Kingdom. The United States proved to be considerably different, with community ideals of localism and national aspirations for Federalism squeezing the regional scale into an awkward position. However, the region remains a vital lens for understanding the economic, political, and environmental processes that are shaping the country—I invite you all to get in touch with me to discuss your ideas and needs.
I presently have three significant projects underway that relate to regional studies. First, I am network coordinator (along with Dr. Jen Nelles and Dr. JP Addie) of the RSA’s research Network on Infrastructural Regionalism (www.noir-rsa.com). Our network began in 2019 and looks to interrogate the mutually constitutive relations that link infrastructures with regions. We host regular workshops and other events, including the sessions on Infrastructure Time at the 2021 Regions in Recovery e-festival. Second, I am completing a book project entitled “A Region Rises” that examines how processes of regional formation and territorialization shaped Southwest Pennsylvania up to 1929. Finally, I have a project that is using geospatial techniques to enhance community participation in regional planning processes. Please feel free to contact me if you are curious about any of the above projects!
During my term as RSA Ambassador, I am conducting a series of interviews with emerging and established regional scholars based in the United States. The (20–30 minute) interviews focus on regional research and the regional question in the US context. You can watch the interviews that have been published here.
I’m looking forward to encouraging participation in the RSA across the United States, and to building the regional studies community. Please email me if you have any ideas for opportunities, or if you need any further information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Glass
Director—Urban Studies Program
3500A Wesley W. Posvar Hall
230 S. Bouquet Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
e-mail | glass@pitt.edu
Twitter | @Glass_PittUrban
Website | Michael R. Glass | Urban Studies | University of Pittsburgh
Below are some resources as an introduction to US regionalism
Books
2020 Clark, Jennifer. Uneven innovation: the work of smart cities. Columbia University Press, New York
Articles/Chapters
2021 Herrschel, T. Competitiveness, metropolitan-centric regionalism and/or the cohesive state. Urban Geography 42(1): 103-117. DOI/10.1080/02723638.2020.1833583
2018 Glass, M.R. North American Regionalism. Chapter 37 in Harrison, J., Paasi, A. & Jones, A. (editors). The Handbook of Regionalism. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
2018 Glass, M.R. Bridging the Regionalism-Public Choice Divide in Regional Studies. Regional Studies. 52(8), p. 1150-61. DOI 10.1080/00343404.2017.1415430.
2017 Wachsmuth, D. Competitive multi-city regionalism: growth politics beyond the Growth Regime. Regional Studies51(4), p. 643-653. DOI/10.1080/00343404.2016.1223840.
Blogs
NOIR website www.noir-rsa.com