Dr. Mark Davidson received his B.A. (2002) and Ph.D. (2006) from the Department of Geography, King’s College London. He is an urban geographer with research interests in gentrification, urban politics, policymaking, comparative urbanism and critical socio-spatial theory. He has longstanding research interests in emergent modes of gentrification - and related issues of displacement - and the politics of concept adoption in the urban policymaking process. His recent work has also extended to consider large-scale urban redevelopment projects and the impact of sustainability thinking in urban and social policy formulation. His research often combines qualitative and quantitative methods and is international in scope, including work in Europe, North America and Australasia. Prior to joining Clark, he was a Research Fellow (2007-2009) at the Urban Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Australia, and a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (2005-2007) in the Department of Geography and The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College.

Current Research

• Urban politics
• Critical urban theory
• Gentrification
• Urban development
• State restructuring 

Fellowships and Awards

• Nelson A. Rockefeller Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Dartmouth College, USA
• School of Social Science and Public Policy Studentship, King's College London, UK
• Jelf Medal, King’s College London, UK
• W. B. Morgan Award, King’s College London, UK
• Sam Brooke Exhibition Prize, King’s College London, UK

Selected Publications

Davidson, M. and Iveson, K. (2015) Recovering the politics of the city, Progress in Human Geography, 39(5), 543-559

Davidson, M. and Iveson, K. (2015) Beyond city limits: A conceptual and political defense of ‘the city’ as an anchoring concept for critical urban theory, City: analysis of urban trends, culture, theory, policy, action, 19(5), 646-664

Davidson, M. and Kutz, W. (2015) Grassroots austerity: municipal bankruptcy from below in Vallejo, California, Environment and Planning A, 47(7), 1440-1459

Davidson, M. and Ward, K. (2014) ‘Picking up the pieces’: austerity urbanism, California, and fiscal crisis, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 7(1), 81-97

Davidson, M. (2011) Gentrification in crisis: towards consensus or disagreement? Urban Studies, 48(10), 1987-1996

Davidson, M. (2010) Sustainability as ideological praxis: the acting out of planning’s master signifier, City: analysis of urban trends, culture, theory, policy, action, 14(3), 390-405

Davidson, M. and Lees, L. (2010) New-build gentrification: its histories, trajectories, and critical geographies, Population, Space and Place, 16(5), 395-411