Long after "People before Highways": Social Movements and Expert Activism in Greater Boston, 1960–2016.

The article examines how local social movements in Greater Boston have adapted to structural changes in urban governance from the 1960s through 2016, focusing on the role of expert activism—professionals with specialized knowledge who support grassroots efforts. It identifies a historical shift from unified resistance to urban renewal projects aimed at "protecting places" toward a segmented landscape where some social movement organizations (SMOs) adopt market-driven strategies to "provide services," particularly in affordable housing, while others pursue grassroots environmental justice efforts centered on the "production of nature." The study highlights how austerity urbanism—a decentralized, market-oriented form of neoliberal urban governance—has reshaped both the organizational forms and epistemological approaches of SMOs, influencing the composition and practices of expert activists. By employing a longitudinal perspective, the research reveals continuities and divergences in knowledge production and activism, emphasizing the complex interplay between racial and economic inequality, urban policy, and social movement strategies in Boston's evolving political context.