Joseph Heathcott grew up in the industrial Midwest, where he spent much of his time exploring train yards and abandoned factories.  He has worked as a dishwasher, fry cook, carpenter, record store clerk, waiter, and community organizer.  These days he is the Chair of Urban + Environmental Studies at The New School.  During the 2010-2011 academic year he served as the U.S. Fulbright Distinguished Chair for the United Kingdom at the University of the Arts in London, and as a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. In 2016 he held the Mellon Distinguished Fellowship in Architecture, Urbanism, and the Humanities at Princeton University. Most recently he was a Senior Visiting Scholar at L'École Urbaine, Sciences Po in Paris.