Colloquium Series

Madison Swayne is an Assistant Professor of City Planning in the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University. She is a social science researcher who uses mixed-methods including big data, automated computing methods, and primary data sources to answer research questions at the intersection of environmental justice and land use. Her research examines how urban form, real estate development, environmental policies, and nuisance continue to reproduce and exacerbate well-documented patterns of environmental injustice. Swayne teaches courses in environmental planning, land use and environmental law, and sustainable urbanism. Before joining SDSU, Swayne completed her Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Development at the University of Southern California. She has a Master’s and Bachelors’ of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California and has worked in environmental consulting in Southern California.

The COVID19 pandemic has exposed place-based health vulnerabilities among Latinos/as. Geographic variation in health services and barriers to accessing these services have key implications for Latinx health access and outcomes in the COVID19 era and beyond. This research examines differences in general health services, immigrant-relevant health services, and barriers to accessing health services across Latinx communities. We investigate how health services and barriers to access differ across U.S. counties according to their histories as Latinx-receiving gateways.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. My research interests include racial/ethnic inequality, immigration, education, health disparities, urban geography, and quantitative methods.