Profile

Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Planning

Exploring labor markets and opportunity

PhD, Urban Planning and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago
MURP, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Minnesota
BA, Government & Int’l Studies, University of Notre Dame 

Professor Greg Schrock explores how opportunity is shaped in the labor market. He teaches courses in regional economic development, the economics of urban planning, and urban labor markets. His research investigates how regional economies influence local labor markets and the inequities that result. He analyzes the effectiveness of government programs at leveling the economic playing field for disadvantaged populations.

Dr. Schrock has authored and co-authored several articles on workforce training and development, the arts and cultural economy, manufacturing and high-technology industries in journals including Urban Geography, Urban Studies, and Economic Development Quarterly.

Before joining PSU faculty in 2010, Dr. Schrock taught as a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. While completing doctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he worked at the Center for Urban Economic Development, where he worked with local officials in Chicago on research and evaluation of jobs and workforce development programs. He has also worked in state economic development in Minnesota and Indiana around diverse issues as manufacturing skills and welfare-to-work programs.  

In and out of the classroom, Dr. Schrock strives to help students gain the skills and connections necessary to receive fair access to opportunity in the labor market. He enjoys teaching undergrads the relevance of planning, shaping MURP students into the next generation of planners, and helping doctorate students become social scientists.   He was named the Toulan School’s recipient of the inaugural CUPA Teaching Awards for 2011-12.

Recent Projects

He is currently active on several areas of research, including:

Job targeting policies in U.S. cities.  How can the benefits of local economic development be targeted to populations in need? Prof. Schrock is studying the use of “first source” and local hiring policies as a tool for communities to ensure that disadvantaged populations and communities benefit from publicly-subsidized job creation efforts.  

Migration trends and labor market outcomes for young, college-educated workers.  Is Portland really “the place where young people go to retire”? This research, in collaboration with Professor Jason Jurjevich, examines the shifting relationship between migration, amenities, and economic opportunity for younger workers. They will be presenting their work in September 2012 as part of the Toulan School’s “City Wise” series. Related reports:

• Is Portland Really the Place Where Young People Go To Retire? Migration Patterns of Portland’s Young and College-Educated, 1980-2010
• Is Portland Really the Place Where Young People Go To Retire? Analyzing Labor Market Outcomes for Portland’s Young and College-Educated

Social equity, green jobs and local sustainability plans.  Are cities making social equity a part of their planning for climate change and sustainability? This research, in collaboration with Prof. Ellen Bassett of the University of Virginia and Toulan School doctoral student Jamaal Green, examines recent climate action and sustainability plans from a number of U.S. cities and assesses whether social equity is part of their plans, and how they are connecting their plans to economic and workforce development strategies for “green jobs.”

Labor restructuring in U.S. manufacturing.  Should cities still look to manufacturing as a source of good jobs?  This research, in collaboration with Prof. Marc Doussard of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, examines the restructuring of employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector over the past thirty years, and the potential for industrial revitalization efforts in U.S. cities.

What Professor Schrock has to say...

BEST PARTS OF JOB: I like helping students look at the world and the urban environment differently. All my students live in communities that will be affected by planning. Planning is a fundamental human behavior that we participate in as citizens, consumers, and voters. We plan so we can accomplish goals. We plan cities as regions so we can have communities that we want. We have to make intentional decisions along the way and decide what values we want to embed in our society. Even if they don’t choose planning professionally, I want students to understand how planning relates to their lives.

UNIQUENESS OF THE TOULAN SCHOOL: I appreciate the engaged scholarship, being in the middle of things, the applied aspect of teaching here, and all the connections. In Portland, the urban environment is all around you, which makes it easy to have a laboratory for teaching, research, and lots of engagement. That is what attracted me to PSU, being in that kind of university environment. We go into planning because we want to operate in this middle ground between theory and practice and to train professionals. To train professionals effectively we have to understand what happens in the professional world. We can do that here.

ON TEACHING IN PORTLAND: Planning is taken seriously here. Having been in Chicago, it’s easy to become cynical because so much is based on politics and power. Those dynamics are here too, but planning in Portland is a very public and deliberative process about what people want. People are used to having that conversation and making decisions about how the region should grow. It’s been successful, but there have also been blind spots in terms of social equity and race.
  
APPROACH TO TEACHING: Empathy. I understand and remember vividly how exhausting school is...

ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: To realize that school is a critical time to build networks and experience.  Skills are obviously important, but you should choose a school that will help connect you to the network of people with whom (and places where) you want to work.  

FAVORITE URBAN PLACE: Minneapolis: it’s big but not too big, just big enough. There are lakes in the city, nature, and it’s surprisingly diverse. Like Portland, it’s a public-minded city.

WHEN NOT TEACHING, I... Watch baseball. I’m a converted Twins fan after growing up rooting for the White Sox. I appreciate the subtlety and strategy in the match-up between the pitcher and the hitter.

FAVORITE GRADING TOOL: Adobe Acrobat. I grade electronically, and don’t accept anything on paper.

PC OR MAC? PC. I have never owned an Apple product in my life because I’ve never seen a compelling argument for the price premium.