UWM People Page

Joel Rast is a professor of political science and urban studies at UWM. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Oregon and a B.A. in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Much of his research at the Center for Economic Development has focused on the issue of public transit and access to jobs. He has led numerous studies examining the effects of transit service reductions in Milwaukee on service to regional employers, considering in particular the impacts on transit-dependent populations. Professor Rast also does research in the areas of urban economic change, urban sustainability, and environmental justice. His book, The Origins of the Dual City: Housing, Race, and Redevelopment in Twentieth-Century Chicago, was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2020.