Research

My research centers on two lines of inquiry. The first one investigates the relationship between speculative urbanism, land politics, and environmental conflict in Central America. I examine this from three perspectives: (1) financialization, looking at how real estate speculation shapes the form and rhythm of urban development, (2) resource grabbing, looking at the institutional arrangements that facilitate the concentration of land and water rights among speculative and rent-seeking actors, and (3) class and state formation, looking at how local actors incorporate real estate projects into their economic and political projects.

The second line of inquiry explores the resurgence of land reform as a public debate in El Salvador. Largely abandoned after the civil war, land reform has reemerged in response to rapid urbanization, agribusiness expansion, and mining. I am interested in how environmental organizations in El Salvador are rethinking land reform beyond the classic economistic framework to address other pressing issues, such as climate vulnerability and the water crisis.