Geography and the Environment Colloquium Series

From the findings from a six-year study of Uber in Washington, D.C., which culminated in the publication of the book “Disrupting DC: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City” (Princeton University Press 2023). We discuss Uber’s entrance into cities like D.C. and what Uber’s early successes can tell us about broader debates in geography surrounding urban governance, urban politics, and technological change in cities. While there have been numerous studies of the gig economy, its relationship to precarious labor, and the technological innovations that have made companies like Uber successful, far less attention has been paid to the political and economic conditions that have allowed companies like Uber to grow and become popular. Using D.C. as a case study, we discuss those conditions but suggest that much of Uber’s success in cities like D.C. is further evidence of urban political weakness.