Spatial Analysis & Action Research Group
Data science for spatial justice.
The Spatial Analysis and Action Research Group, housed in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, uses spatial data science and mapping tools to support place-based movements for social justice in the northeastern United States. Our current research projects focus primarily on consolidation in the rental market and housing insecurity (including evictions) in Massachusetts. Methodologically, we’re most interested in analyzing powerful actors and institutions, with the understanding that these are not solely, but primarily, responsible for producing social injustice. We are also interested in developing new (and rethinking old) methods for interactive and static cartography.
- 77 Massachusetts Ave
- Building 9-545
- Cambridge, MA 02139
Eric Robsky Huntley, PhD
Director
Eric Robsky Huntley, PhD is a Lecturer in Urban Science and Planning in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) and the director of the Spatial Analysis and Action Research Group. They are a GIScientist, geographer, and urban planner whose research practice focuses on what mapping and spatial data science can do for movements for social justice. Alongside their primary appointment at DUSP, they have also held academic appointments at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. They are also Founder and Principal of OGRAPHIES Research and Design, a mission-driven spatial data science consultancy. They hold a PhD in geography from the University of Kentucky's Department of Geography and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
Our Team
Asya Aizman, MCP
PhD Student
Asya Aizman is a PhD Student in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. Asya works on housing, open access, and people power, with particular interest in forms of class solidarity between property owners. Before arriving at DUSP, she was a creative technologist & visiting researcher at MIT's Digital Humanities Lab and a creative technologist & designer at the Harvard Law Library Innovation Lab. She holds a Master's in City Planning from MIT DUSP, Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Parsons School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts from The New School.
Milan Chuttani
Research Assistant, MCP Candidate
Milan Chuttani is a research assistant in the Spatial Analysis & Action Research Group and an MCP candidate in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. Milan's interests are in transforming spatial, qualitative, and quantitative data into compelling narratives that promote health equity. Milan also serves as a data analyst at the Vital Village Networks. Prior to joining DUSP, Milan was an ORISE Fellow at the CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, developing web applications and GIS tools to support the COVID-19 pandemic response and public health initiatives for globally mobile populations. Milan holds with a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Dartmouth College.
Jiao Zhao
Research Assistant, MCP Candidate
Her interests revolve around housing, urban inequalities, and using technology to drive social innovation. Prior to landing at DUSP, she worked as an archiurbanist, focusing on improving underutilized spaces to foster more vibrant public life and sustainable urban environments. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture from Tongji University.