Faculty Affiliate Margaret Pugh O'Mara, Assistant Professor of History, writes and teaches twentieth century American history, focusing on the evolution of political institutions, the growth of cities and suburbs, the impact of economic globalization, and the emergence of high-technology economies.

Major Research Projects:

• The Production of Innovation explores the century-long transition of the United States from an industrial to postindustrial economy and the profound political, social, and geographic consequences of this transition.
•  Landscapes of Wealth (with Karen C. Seto, brings a transnational and interdisciplinary perspective to these questions.  This study blends historical research and analysis of the dynamics of land-use change to show how and why the North American suburb has gone global and the environmental consequences of this exportation of suburban built environments. Some of the maps and visualizations from this project can be found here.

Sample Publications:

• Cities of Knowledge: Cold War Science and the Next Silicon Valley. 2005. Princeton University Press.
• "Landscapes of Knowledge and High Technology," in Places: A Forum of Design for the Public Realm 19.1 (Spring 2007).

Contact Information:

Margaret Pugh O'Mara
Email: momara@u.washington.edu
Homepage: http://faculty.washington.edu/momara/
Margaret Pugh O'Mara's CV: PDF