Interests

I study neighborhood inequality in US cities. Why are some neighborhoods more disadvantaged than others? What are the consequences of neighborhood disadvantage for health and well-being? What are the causes and consequences of moving to a more-advantaged neighborhood?

I have a specific interest in understanding these issues as they relate to adolescents and young adults, with a particular focus on the ways in which schools and neighborhoods interact to impact poverty and inequality.

Recent Work

A significant amount of research has been dedicated to understanding exposure to gun violence in residential neighborhoods. In a recent study published in Urban Studies, I broaden this perspective by examining gun violence exposure in the neighborhoods that residents travel to for daily routines.

Using 2018-2019 mobile phone data to capture resident daily mobility, I compare neighborhood gun violence exposure in the residential neighborhood and the neighborhoods visited by residents for the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.

I find that gun violence exposure is greater in visited neighborhoods compared to residential neighborhoods, most metro areas exhibit either greater or equal exposure in visited neighborhoods relative to home neighborhoods, Black neighborhoods exhibit greater gun violence exposure across all scales, and segregation increases gun violence exposure in neighborhood networks for Black, Hispanic and mixed racial/ethnic neighborhoods.

Current Projects

I’m currently working on a study that compares extreme heat exposure in residential neighborhoods to exposure in the neighborhoods that residents visit for daily activities. This study is part of a larger project that extends the traditional approach to studying neighborhoods from where people live to where they travel to for daily routines such as work, school, leisure, and recreation. You can find a summary of this emerging framework in a recent scoping review, published with collaborators from Brown University, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Southern California.

I am also collaborating with researchers from the American Institutes for Research to study the expansion of transitional kindergarten (TK) in California. The goal is to highlight ways to reduce existing racial segregation in elementary schools as districts expand their TK programs to be open to all 4-year-old children by 2025–26.

How Do You Unwind?

I enjoy reading, baking, swimming, running, archery, and playing pickleball.

Read a policy brief by Noli Brazil:
Place-Based Improvement Programs Favor Gentrifying Neighborhoods Over Those Most in Need

May 2025