CEGU

Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization

Division of Social Sciences, The University of Chicago

portrait of Nina Olney
portrait of Nina Olney

Nina Olney

Graduate Student Research Mentor, Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization (CEGU)
PhD Student, Department of Sociology

Nina Olney is a recent graduate of the MAPSS program concentrating in Anthropology. Her research examines green gentrification in Chicago, specifically analyzing the role of street tree planning in transforming neighborhoods in terms of aesthetics, vulnerability, and access. Drawing on theories of racial capitalism, political ecology, and critical geography, her work centers the unseen elements of urban environments to trace a larger history of nature as property. Nina is also interested in sustainable urban design, environmental justice, and theories of the Anthropocene. You can usually find her exploring a new neighborhood or reading at one of the many, many coffee shops she frequents.