Cristina Muñoz

Bio:

I grew up in a large dynamic city, South Los Angeles, California. My interest in how small communities maintain identity in large cities led me to pursue urban studies at Bryn Mawr College. My undergraduate thesis was about Environmental Justice issues in the Latino population of South Los Angeles. Through this research, I developed a broader interest in human-environment interaction and thus I am pursuing a PhD in geography. I am also a member of the student council for the William Averette Anderson Fund.

Research Interests:

My research interests involve human-environment interactions specifically in natural hazards & disasters and environmental justice issues. My current research is titled Flood Recovery, Property Acquisition, and Equity: The Geography of Federal Disaster Aid. In this research I investigate how federal aid is distributed post a flood disaster to determine levels of recovery. I look at recovery both across space and across varying populations concerning social vulnerability. I also engage in civic scholarship and community engagement. I was able to develop further my knowledge in civic scholarship during the winter of 2015 through the Graduate Institute on Engagement and the Academy at the Obermann Center.

Key research concepts: disaster recovery, social vulnerability, social capacity, community engagement