A new book by Serin Houston ’11 PhD (Geog) uses Seattle as a case study, delving into some of the most pressing and compelling aspects of contemporary urban governance in the United States. The book, Imagining Seattle: Social Values in Urban Governance, was published in May by the University of Nebraska Press as part of its “Our Sustainable Future” series.

In the book, Houston, a faculty member at Mount Holyoke College, examines how the city government of Seattle works to translate the social values of social justice, sustainability, and creativity into tangible policies and governance practices. The book reveals how policies aimed at burnishing Seattle’s liberal reputation often unfold in ways that disadvantage communities of color and the poor, thus complicating the city’s claims to progressive politics.

Houston is an assistant professor of geography and international relations, who specializes in urban, cultural, and social geography; refugee and migration studies; and qualitative methods. Her research focuses on questions of settlement, belonging, and social justice for different migrant communities and encounters in and transformations of urban space.

Read more about the book at the publisher's website, and more about Houston at her Mount Holyoke faculty page.