Narrative

The University of Minnesota mourns the loss of Professor Judith Martin, who passed away October 3, 2011.

My research and teaching is broadly urban in scope, having never focused on one particular issue or question, or even in one particular discipline. I have taught, done research and published in many diverse areas: traditional urban geographical questions (Twin Cities governance), landscape and cultural concerns (historical preservation, urban design), and, increasingly, comparative urban issues. My usual approach to most of my work is pragmatic and applied; this is firmly based in my experiences beyond the University. For example, I was president of the Minneapois City Planning Commission for 8 years, and a member for 15. I have often used the Twin Cities as a base for my work, due to my early belief that all too much urban research ignored the experiences of the most typical of American urban areas. I am currently the editor of Metropolican Portraits Book Series (University of Pennsylvania Press). I am interested in a wide range of urban/cultural geography questions, and look forward to working with students, including many from outside geography, who share some of these wide-ranging interests.