Matthew Fry

mfry@unt.edu

Department of Geography

University of North Texas

1155 Union Circle #305279

Denton, Texas  76203-5017

940.369.7576 TEL

940.369.7550 FAX

 

 

Matthew Fry

I am a geographer whose research and teaching focuses on human-environment interactions, particularly those involving cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental dynamics.  Topics of interest include the rural-urban interface, resource use/extraction, and landscape change.  I use a variety of research methods including household surveys, informal and group interviews, archival research, participant observation, biophysical measurements, GPS field mapping, and GIS analysis.

Curriculum Vita

Current Research:

· Construction Materials and Landscape/Livelihood Change in Central Mexico: Previous and on-going research in the highlands of central Veracruz, Mexico investigates how the booming demand for common urban building materials influences rural land use and livelihood strategies, local geographies, and cultural landscapes. 

· Gas Wells, Setback Distances, and Homes in North Texas: What is the relationship between the boom in natural gas extraction from the Barnett Shale and people living in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex?  Currently, I’m collecting and mapping data on residents’ perceptions of drilling, home distances from drill pads, and municipal policies on the placement of drilling rigs.

· Tropical Treelines and Global Change in the Andes: As part of a National Geographic Society funded collaborative project with Alexandra Ponette-González, I am mapping and analyzing cattle grazing, fire, and natural disturbance at timberline in Rio Abiseo National Park, Peru. 

Courses:

Culture, Environment and Society (GEOG 1170)

Latin America: Geography and Globalization (link)

Geography of Mexico (link)

Recent Publications

Fry, M. 2011.  From Crops to Concrete: Deagriculturalization, Urbanization, and Construction Material Mining in Central Mexico. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 101(6): 1285-1306.

Fry, M. 2011. Manufacturing a City in the Tropics: The Building Material Industry in Xalapa, Mexico. Industrial Geographer 8(2): 45-62.

Ponette-González, A.G. and M. Fry.  2010.  Pig pandemic: Industrial hog farming in eastern Mexico. Land Use Policy 27(4): 1107-1110.

Fry, M. 2009. Tepetzil y la Producción de Block en la Región Montañosa del Centro de Veracruz.  In K.F. Clark, G.A. Salas Piza, and R. Cubillas Estrada (eds.), Geología Económica de México, 2ª Edición. Hermosillo, Sonora, México: Servicio Geológico Mexicano.

Fry, M. 2008.  Mexico’s Concrete Block Landscape: A Modern Legacy in the Vernacular. Journal of Latin American Geographers 72(2): 35-58.

Fry, M. 2008. Concrete-Block Farmers in Mexico. Geographical Review 98(1): 123-132.

Research Interests:

cultural landscape studies; land use change; Latin America; livelihood studies; mapping and analyzing human-environment interactions; resource extraction and commodity chains; rural-urban interface

Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of  North Texas