Emily Barrett is an Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech, where her work focuses on the intersection of community-based geographic information systems (GIS), economic geography, and urban development.

Her latest research examines spatial inequities across U.S. cities, focusing on municipal budgets as pivotal sites of debate for economic democracy. As a dedicated community-based researcher, Barrett has a history of partnering with organizations like the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition and Stand Up Nashville. Through this work, she contributes to broad debates in urban planning, revealing how organizers are reimagining public finance to create more affordable cities.

She holds a Ph.D. in Community, Research and Action from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in Geography from the University of Kentucky.