Associate Professor (Ph.D. University of Guelph)

Research Interests

Social Control, Poverty Governance, Homelessness, Neoliberal Urbanism, Urban Marginality     

Contact Information

Ph: 709-864-7584
Em: dkudla@mun.ca
Office: A-4066

Personal Profile

Dr. Kudla is primarily interested in the dynamics of inter-actor relations, specifically studying how state and non-state actors collaborate, rationalize, and execute policies that have consequences for marginalized communities. His current work centers on societal and institutional responses to homelessness, analyzing the processes through which social actors define the problem and its corresponding solutions, and the subsequent effects on people experiencing homelessness. His approach is interdisciplinary, integrating theoretical frameworks and methodologies from sociology, criminology, and human geography.    

Research

Clarke, A., Kudla, D., & Lata, L. (2025). Governing Urban Marginality in the Post-COVID city: Introduction to the Virtual Special Issue. Cities, 166: 1-5.

Kudla, D., Stokes, A., & Brito, B. (2025). The Societalization of Sexual Misconduct in Canada: From the Ghomeshi Scandal to State Reforms. In J. Alexander and M. Horgan (Eds.), The Civil Sphere in Canada (pp. 344-365). Vancouver: UBC Press.

Kudla, D., & Clarke, A. (2024) Housing First as a Global Fast Policy, Economic Tool, and Disciplinary Tactic: Can Housing First’s Progressive Promise Be Salvaged? International Journal of Housing Policy. Advance Online Copy.

Kudla, D. (2024) Masking Visible Poverty Through “Activation”: Creative Placemaking as a Compassionate Revanchist Policy. Social & Cultural Geography, 24(4): 562-581.

Kudla, D. (2022). Fifty Years of Business Improvement Districts: A Reappraisal of The Dominant Perspectives and Debates. Urban Studies, 59(14): 2837-2856.

Kudla, D. (2021). Business Improvement Areas and the Socio-Cultural Power of Lobbying: Imposing Market Interest to Affordable Housing Development. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 53(8): 1974-1992.

Kudla, D., and Courey, M. (2019). Managing Territorial Stigmatization from the ‘Middle’: The Revitalization of a Post-Industrial Business Improvement Area. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 51(2): 351-373.

Kudla, D., and Parnaby, P. (2018). To Serve and To Tweet: An Examination of Police-Related Twitter Activity in Toronto. Social Media and Society, 4(3): 1-13.

Kudla, D. (2018). Urban Authenticity as a Panacea for Urban Disorder? Business Improvement Areas, Cultural Power, and the Worlds of Justification. In L. Tate and B. Shannon (Eds.), Planning for AuthentiCITIES (pp. 75-93). New York: Routledge.