Laura Schmahmann

About Laura Schmahmann

Hello! I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. I specialize in economic geography (specifically the location of industries and agglomeration economies) and the politics of local and regional economic development. Prior to undertaking my PhD, I worked as a city planner in Sydney, Australia for almost a decade. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or reach out via email. 

Areas of Expertise

local economic development, regional development, land use fiscalization

Selected Publications

Recent publications:

• Schmahmann, L. (2026). Core-periphery relations: spatial patterns of e-commerce in the San Francisco Bay Area. Urban Geography.
• Schmahmann, L. (2025). City Competition for E-Commerce Sales Tax Revenue: Qualitative Evidence on the Politics of Land Fiscalization in California. Economic Development Quarterly, 39(3), 167-181.
• Schmahmann, L., Ramiller, A., & Fields, D. (2024). Platform Firms, Commercial Real Estate Cycles and San Francisco’s Growth as a Tech Cluster, 2008-2020. Annals of the American Association of Geographers , 114(1), 139-163.

Recent Courses Taught

• Urban and Regional Economic Development [URPN 440/PLAN 627]
• City Form and Function [PLAN 610]
• Applied Planning [PLAN 627]
• Urban Issues [URPN 361]