Laura Schatz

Laura Schatz is a Lecturer in Geography and Urban Studies. She originally joined UWS as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2010, after completing her PhD in Urban Planning at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Laura's dissertation analyzed and compared the different approaches to urban planning (one growth-oriented and one decline-oriented) in two shrinking communities: Sudbury, Ontario and Youngstown, Ohio. Prior to her PhD studies, Laura worked as a lawyer in Toronto, Canada. Her research interests include: urban planning in shrinking cities; the role of the courts in urban planning; unpacking the neoliberal turn in urban planning; comparative planning and environmental regulation; and planning in resource (particularly mining) communities.