Thomas Sigler

I am an economic and urban geographer interested in (a) how globalisation shapes cities, and (b) how cities and urban space are shaped by globalisation. The first of these themes focusses on ‘the global economy’ and how various firms, institutions, and industries are distributed across space. This incorporates both existing geographies as well as change over time, as the shifting global economy has dynamic consequences. The second of these focusses more concretely on cities and the dynamics within them. I supervise a broad range of MPhil and Phd projects, and have active collaborations with partners in Australia, North America, Europe, and East Asia.

My specific interests fall into the following three areas:

1. The Sharing Economy, which has been popularised by platforms such as Uber and Airbnb. We currently have projects focusing on e-scooter sharing, short-term rentals, and labour platforms.

2. Land Use Change and Housing, with a focus on the interrelated processes of gentrification, suburbanisation, property investment, migration, and urban renewal. I am particularly interested in changing urban spatial structure with regard to macroeconomic, and specifically post-industrial, shifts that are occurring in cities around the world.

3. Global networks, with a focus on the diverse socio-economic connections between the world’s cities. This research theme combines network science, economic geography, and urban studies.