Spurlock's work focuses on plan and policy implementation and addresses policy questions in the areas of planning, public health, environmental and social justice, and dispute resolution. Her research explores the relationships among land use, the environment, human behavior, and structural inequality on a variety of research projects including: social stratification and its impact on the siting of hazardous land uses, social vulnerability and emergency preparedness, and the impact of land use decisions on ecosystems services. Spurlock's most recent research investigates plan and policy implementation and the land use decision-making process at the parcel level.