Bridget Fisher is a PhD student in the Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers–New Brunswick. Her research focuses on the relationships between municipal finance, land, and equity. Fisher previously served as Associate Director of The New School’s Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, where she remains a senior fellow working on urban redevelopment projects and land-based financing tools, and worked in the New York City Council, NYS Working Families Party, and the U.S. Congress. She has a master’s in public administration from CUNY’s Baruch College and a BA in public communication and women’s studies from American University.

Fiscal Enclaves, Public Finance, and Democratic Visibility

This research investigates the public finance mechanisms used in public/private urban land development projects and their role in the governance of public resources. This preliminary research will utilize a mixed-methods case study approach of the political and fiscal relationships underlying New York City’s Hudson Yards development. This case study explores how modern debt instruments affect relationships between democratic governance and public officials, taxpayers and investors, and public and private finance. This project supports RDL’s mission by promoting transparency in public finance to enable the civic engagement necessary to ensure public resources build an inclusive future.