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John Rennie Short

Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
John Rennie Short is an expert on urban issues, environmental concerns, globalization, political geography and the history of cartography. He has studied cities around the world, and lectured to a variety of audiences. Recent books include Hosting The Olympic Games: The Real Costs for Cities (2018), The Unequal City (2018), Human Geography (2018, 2nd ed), A Research Agenda for Cities (2017), Urban Theory (2015, 2nd ed.), Stress Testing The USA (2013), Cities and Nature (2013, 2nd ed.) and Globalization, Modernity and The City (2012).

Before coming to UMBC in 2002, he was a Professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. From 1978 to 1990 he taught at the University of Reading UK. He has held visiting appointments as Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University, as the Erasmus Professor at Groningen University and as the Leverhulme Professor at Loughborough University. Among his research fellowships are the Vietor Fellowship at Yale University, the Dibner Fellowship at the Smithsonian, the Kono Fellowship at the Huntington Library and the Andrew Mellon Fellowship at the American Philosophical Society.

Traditional downtowns are dead or dying in many US cities − what's next for these zones?

Sep 26, 2023 03:56 am UTC| Economy

The hollowing out of U.S. cities office and commercial cores is a national trend with serious consequences for millions of Americans. As more people have stayed home following the COVID-19 pandemic, foot traffic has...

Is your city making you fat? How urban planning can address the obesity epidemic

Feb 25, 2020 13:15 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

New disease outbreaks, like the novel coronavirus that recently emerged in Chinas Hubei province, generate headlines and attention. Meanwhile, however, Americans face a slower but much more pervasive health crisis:...

Supreme Court says gerrymandering fix up to voters, not judges

Jun 28, 2019 00:07 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is not unconstitutional. The majority ruled that gerrymandering is outside the scope and power of the federal courts to adjudicate. The issue is...

New York gets serious about traffic with the first citywide US congestion pricing plan

Apr 03, 2019 10:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

After years of debate, New York state has adopted congestion pricing to deal with traffic problems in New York City. Starting in 2021, fees will be imposed on all vehicles entering a pricing zone that covers lower...

Economy

Google's TurboQuant Sends South Korean Chip Stocks Tumbling Amid AI Memory Demand Fears

South Korean equities took a sharp hit Friday as mounting concerns over reduced artificial intelligence memory demand dragged the KOSPI index to its lowest point in more than two weeks. The benchmark fell nearly 3% to...

Bank of Japan Faces Rate Uncertainty Amid Middle East Oil Shock

The Bank of Japan is bracing for significant inflation volatility as the ongoing Middle East conflict reshapes the global economic landscape, according to Kazuo Momma, a former BOJ executive now serving as chief economist...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Dollar Stays Firm Amid Middle East Uncertainty

Global currency markets remained largely subdued on Friday, with most Asian currencies showing minimal movement as the U.S. dollar held firm. Investors continued to weigh geopolitical developments in the Middle East and...

U.S. Praises Kurdistan's Role in Oil Markets Amid Iran War Fallout

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a significant diplomatic call Thursday with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, signaling Washingtons commitment to regional energy stability as conflict...

Oil Prices Slip as Middle East Tensions Ease, Heading for Weekly Loss

Oil prices declined during Asian trading on Friday, putting both major benchmarks on course for a weekly loss of more than 4%, as signs of diplomatic progress between the United States and Iran reduced the geopolitical...

Politics

Russia Accused of Helping Iran Target U.S. Forces, European Powers Tell G7

European nations have formally accused Russia of providing military intelligence and drone technology to Iran to help target American forces in the Middle East, raising the issue directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco...

Trump Signs Executive Order to Pay TSA Workers Amid Airport Security Crisis

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will sign an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees receive their pay,...

Iran Allows Oil Tankers Through Strait of Hormuz Amid U.S. Negotiations

Shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz has notably increased in recent days, appearing to validate statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump that Iran permitted a number of oil tankers to pass through the...

US Military Eyes 10,000 Troop Surge to Middle East Amid Iran Nuclear Tensions

The Pentagon is reportedly considering deploying up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing Department of Defense officials familiar with the planning. The...

California Renames Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day Following Sexual Abuse Allegations

California lawmakers have officially voted to rename Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day after multiple women came forward with sexual abuse allegations against the late labor rights leader. Both the State Senate and...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Pentagon from enforcing its designation of Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk, dealing an early blow to the Trump administration in a growing dispute over...

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling

Major memory chipmakers took a significant hit on Thursday after Google researchers introduced a groundbreaking compression algorithm that threatens to reduce artificial intelligence demand for memory chips. Samsung...

Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round

Nvidia-backed artificial intelligence startup Reflection AI is in advanced discussions to secure $2.5 billion in fresh funding, with negotiations pointing to a staggering pre-money valuation of $25 billion, according to a...

Nanya Technology Shares Surge 10% After $2.5 Billion Private Placement from Sandisk and Cisco

Shares of Taiwan-based memory chip manufacturer Nanya Technology soared to their daily limit of 10% on Thursday morning following the companys announcement of a major $2.5 billion private placement deal backed by prominent...