Department of Geography, UW–Madison Department of Geography, UW–Madison
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Kris Olds

Kris OldsProfessor, Department of Geography

Background

I am a professor of human geography at the Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

I joined the faculty in the Department of Geography in July 2001. Prior to this I taught at the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore (1997-2001) and at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol (1996-1997). I was also a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Geography, University of British Columbia (1995-1996). Apart from academia, I have also worked in the planning department for the City of Vancouver, as a researcher at the UBC Centre for Human Settlements http://www.chs.ubc.ca/, and with Joe Wai’s architectural firm in Vancouver.

My PhD (1996) in Human Geography is from the University of Bristol in England. I was based at the School of Geographical Sciences there from 1992-1995. I also have two degrees from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (my 'hometown') - a MA (1988) in Community and Regional Planning, and a BA (1985) in Human Geography.

University and Professional Service

I play a variety of service roles in the Department, including Chair, Undergraduate Affairs and Curriculum Development Committee, and Faculty Diversity Liaison for students. I am always happy to respond to any queries undergraduates might have about advising, departmental atmosphere, and so on. Please do not hesitate to contact me!

In addition, I am affiliated with a number of units and initiatives on campus at UW-Madison:

At the present moment, I am a member of the editorial boards of GeoJournal, and Urban Policy and Research. I am also co-editor (with Neil Coe) of the Economic Geography Section, Geography Compass.

Research Areas

My research primarily focuses on the geographical organization of power in relation to contemporary socio-economic and spatial transformations. The geographic context for my research is the broad Asia-Pacific/Pacific Rim region, and the interdependent skein of global cities spread around the globe. I am particularly interested in how institutions chicago_gsb(including firms and universities) and elite social formations operate across distant space; how institutions, elite social formations, and the processes of which they are a part, produce distinct spaces and places through their operation; and what the role of the global city is in the geographical organization of power.

I also have long-standing interests in evictions and related forms of involuntary displacement/resettlement in urban contexts. My previous research on this topic has been conducted in relation to the role of mega-events (e.g., world’s fairs and Olympic games) in urban transformations. This research is policy-oriented, and often conducted in conjunction with local governments, community-based organizations, and NGOs.

So, in a nutshell, my topical interests are the following, and I welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students with overlapping interests:

Current Activities

I am currently working on a number of research projects. These include both independent research and collaborative research. Select initiatives are outlined below, in summary fashion.

Also, please visit my current research-based blog: GlobalHigherEd : Surveying the Construction of Global Knowledge/Spaces for the ‘Knowledge Economy’.

Global Assemblage: Singapore, Western Universities, and the Socio-Economic Development Process

In the late 1990s and first half of the 2000s, select cities in Pacific Asia formed or significantly deepened formal institutional linkages with a variety of foreign (mainly Western) universities. The broad objective of this research project is to examine contemporary global city formation processes in the city-state of Singapore. More specifically, I am examining the factors that underlie the emergence of Singapore berlinas a ‘global education hub’. Particular attention is being devoted to understanding: (1) Constructing a Global Education Hub (the objectives and strategies of the Singaporean state in opening up its territory to new forms of foreign educational knowledge, institutional structures, practices, and technologies); and (2) Globalizing Universities (the objectives and strategies of foreign (mainly Western) universities as they seek to establish and/or deepen their presences in Pacific Asia in general, and Singapore in particular). This research project is being implemented via the application of the extended case method in relationship to globalization, and the implementation of ‘multi-locale’ fieldwork. Fieldwork is being conducted at the key ‘sites’ where this global assemblage is being imagined, coordinated, constructed, and assessed.

This project has received support from the Pickard Chair fund in the Department of Geography, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), the Graduate School, and a program titled ‘University-Industry Linkages as Drivers of Urban Development in Asia’ (jointly run by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the World Bank).

The Global Geopolitics of the Knowledge-Based Economy: Regionalisms, Regional Linkages, and Higher Education Restructuring in Asia & Europe

The ubiquity of the ‘knowledge economy’ and ‘knowledge society’ discourse is not simply rhetorical; it represents changing understandings of the relationship between states, economies and individuals, and is giving rise to new spaces, practices and citizen-subjects. The state, in particular, has been actively involved in constructing new knowledge spaces at a range scales in the context of evolving conceptualizations of the ‘ideal’ economy and society. Examples of new knowledge spaces include innovative class room architectures designed to engender more creative learning and citizen-subjects; new universities in central cities or emerging regions; university-industry linkage development programs; global university consortia such as the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) or the International Alliance of Research Universities; national-scale developments such as Brand New Zealand, Qatar Education City, Brain Korea 21, or Singapore Global Schoolhouse; and regional initiatives such as European Higher Education Area (EHEA), or the ASEAN University Network. Many of these new knowledge spaces are being constructed and governed in a transnational sense, both with respect to the context in which these spaces are being framed and situated, and with respect to the institutions and social formations that effectively construct and govern these spaces. States are also seeking to retain and repatriate educated nationals (e.g., India, China), and to strategically support and govern the production of intellectual property (and associated trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS)).

While new forms of statecraft have sought to construct new multi-scalar knowledge spaces, analysts have devoted relatively little attention to these transformations. This is, arguably, due to the continued effects of disciplinary-based geographic imaginaries that are still weighted towards a focus on the national scale (despite the unsettling impacts of debates about globalization upon economy and society).

This new (2007 on) initiative focuses on globalization, regionalism(s), interregionalism, and higher education restructuring. More specifically, I am initiating the examination of three main research questions:

  1. How is the relationship between regionalism (defined as the formal and informal policy of states and sub-state regions to coordinate activities in a greater region), interegionalism, and higher education, being conceptualized by relevant analysts and practitioners?
  2. How is regionalism in Pacific Asia and Europe shaping the transformation of higher education systems?
  3. How is regionalism in Pacific Asia and Europe shaping the formation of linkages between Pacific Asian and European universities and related institutions?

This project builds off of my research and teaching on globalization and regionalism in the Asia-Pacific (at the National University of Singapore and UW-Madison), work that I have been doing with educationalists (especially Susan Robertson) on the construction of knowledge spaces (CKS) in a globalizing era, and service with several US Department of Education-funded National Resource Centers (NRCs) in Asian, European, and Global studies, as well as UW-Madison's International Institute. For example, I was lead organizer of the Constructing the European Higher Education Area Symposium , April 8-9, 2005, University of Wisconsin-Madison. I was also co-organizer of a Chicago-based workshop (held on 18 September 2006) that examined new forms of transatlantic higher education linkages; and I am co-organizer of a new multi-year seminar series on The Global Public University that is being coordinated by WISCAPE and the Division of International Studies.

International Events and Forced Evictions: a Focus on the Olympic Games

I am currently finishing off a role as academic advisor and collaborator on a major research project on mega-events and forced evictions that the Geneva-based Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions has been coordinating. With the Olympic Games as an example, this project is examining the phenomena of forced evictions in relation to the preparation of this major international event. The research is designed to produce a clear picture of thOlypic Gamesis phenomenon, identifying cases of good practice, as well as determining whether the forced evictions carried out are solely related to the Olympic Games or to broader developments/policies in the host city. Ultimately, the project aims at developing concrete policies for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other mega-event sponsors to prevent the occurrence of forced evictions in relation to the mega-events.

Other collaborators in this project include the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat), the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace, the University of Geneva's Graduate Institute of International Studies (IUHEI), the Institut d'Architecture de l'Université de Genève, the University of Toronto Faculty of Social Work, and the New York University Law School.

The project was funded by Réseau universitaire international de Genève (Geneva International Academic Network). The recently released report, and complementary resources, are available via a COHRE website and a GIAN website.

Select Publications

Teaching

Students in Geog 505 Global Cities courseMy courses deal with a range of urban, economic, political, and socio-cultural issues. They tend to be very interdisciplinary in nature, and discussion oriented if at all possible. I often develop some group project options in courses, and utilize workshop formats to engage with the content of the group projects. Films, both documentary and feature, are also incorporated into many of my courses, and are usually viewed in designated screening rooms on campus. Since 2001 I have taught:

Recent and Current Graduate Students (Geography and Other Disciplines)

PhD students (supervisor)

(ii) PhD students (co-supervisor)

Masters students (supervisor and co-supervisor)

Contact Information

My contact details are noted below. Please note that I am suffering under the pressure of email overload (like everyone these days, so it seems!). If I have not replied to your message within one week please do not hesitate to contact me again as nagging is required in a world of spam, email filters, and so on!