Zachary Neal

Zachary Neal is assistant professor of Sociology and Global Urban Studies (GUSP), and adjunct assistant professor of Psychology. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Arizona. He is a member of the editorial board of City and Community (official journal of the Community and Urban Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association) and co-editor of the Metropolis and Urban Life book series published by Routledge.

His work focuses on using networks to understand urban phenomena at multiple scales, ranging from the social networks among city residents, to the physical street networks within cities, to the global economic networks between cities. His work has also explored restaurants as urban cultural markers, the use of ecological niche theory to understand organizations, and the role of urban public spaces in everyday life. He is the co-author of Common Ground: Readings and Reflections on Public Space (Routledge 2009); his work appears in such journals as Urban Studies and Global Networks, and has been covered by local and national media including the Lansing State Journal, Crain’s Business, and National Public Radio.