Hi, my name is Laird Gallagher.
I’m a Ph.D candidate in Sociology at Brown University. Lately, my research has focused on the political economy and cultural politics of the climate crisis, specifically ‘green’ economic development, just transition, and environmental racism. I have an abiding fascination with questions of rationality, agency, and future projections, especially as these relate to socio-environmental crises. I am interested in critical social theory, comparative-historical methods, survey experiments, and computational methods.
I received an M.S.from the City University of New York, Hunter College in 2023 and a B.A. with High Honors from Wesleyan University in 2011. Formerly I was the associate editor at the Center for an Urban Future, an independent policy research organization focused on expanding economic opportunity and reducing inequality in New York City. Before that, I spent five years in the editorial department of the literary book publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where I edited a wide range of fiction and nonfiction. I’ve also worked in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and as an events organizer, photo researcher, writing tutor, and college squash coach. In my free time I run, read history and literary fiction, and visit museums and galleries. I split my time between Manhattan’s Chinatown, where I’m the co-chair of the tenants association for a 1,600 unit affordable housing complex, and Providence, Rhode Island.
Publications
Expanding Registered Apprenticeships in NYC
While New York State has made significant progress in expanding registered apprenticeships since 2018, New York City has seen little growth. With renewed support, the city has the opportunity to leverage this high-impact training model and make apprenticeships in high-growth industries like tech and healthcare a key component of an inclusive economic recovery.
Read moreBefore the Next Flood: NYC Needs More Progress Building Green Infrastructure
While the city has made significant progress in ramping up the construction of green infrastructure, it has fallen short of state-mandated targets and struggled to finish construction on thousands of green infrastructure assets in a timely manner. The next administration needs to expand its goals and accelerate construction throughout the city.
Read moreSupporting NYC’s immigrant arts ecosystem through crisis and beyond
In this City Limits op-ed, CUF urges city policymakers and cultural leaders to do more to help immigrant artists and arts organizations survive the current crisis and weave new strength into the cultural fabric of New York City.
Read moreNew York City Should Start Preparing Now for a Biden Infrastructure Plan
In this Gotham Gazette op-ed, CUF makes the case that New York City should start preparing for an increasingly likely major new federal infrastructure investment this year and seize this opportunity to get the economy going and confront the climate crisis
Read moreA Green Public Works Program for NYC: 40 Ideas from Experts
To understand how New York might take advantage of federal investment to create jobs and help the city mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, CUF asked city leaders in coastal resilience, environmental justice, urban agriculture, renewable energy, and more for sustainability and resiliency project ideas.
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