John Meligrana's research projects can be grouped into two main research directions.
One, he has published extensively on local government institutions and how they respond to urban growth and development, especially within the rural-urban fringe. In particular, John is interested in how local governments attempt to change their municipal territorial limits in response to fringe growth and development. Some of his publications can be found in Environmental and Planning A, Urban Studies and Urban History Review.
Two, John has recently begun to investigate topics in environmental management and urban planning in the People's Republic of China. He has partnered with the Institute of Biodiversity Science at Fudan University in Shanghai to investigate such topics as the relationship between water quality and urbanization, urban planning and development, and trends in public participation in urban planning. His China publications can be found in the journals Nature, Environment International, and Urban Studies. He has also co-authored numerous policy reports for the Chinese government particularly from projects funded by the Canadian International Development Agency's Public Policy Options Project.
