Spencer is an environmental designer and social scientist contributing to placemaking projects in the public realm. His recent work includes the restoration of over 20 acres of open space in New York City with the environmental nonprofit GrowNYC.

He has professional training in urban design with backgrounds in environmental psychology and social work. His work in green infrastructure has been featured in The New York Times and his environmental and social science research has been published in the landscape architecture journal PLOT, the Michigan Journal of Sustainability, the journal Mind & Society, and the book Sustainable Consumption, Promise or Myth?​​​​​​​ He is a licensed master social worker and resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.