Steven Gehrke

Dr. Gehrke is an assistant professor at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in the Department of Geography, Planning, and Recreation. Prior to joining NAU, Steve joined MAPC’s Data Services Department in July 2017 as a Senior Research Analyst. His duties included land use allocation modeling, development and analysis of novel datasets, design and implementation of decision support tools, evaluation of transportation and land use programs, and creation of integrated land use and transportation scenarios for regional planning efforts.

Prior to joining MAPC, Steve worked as a research analyst in the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University, as well as a graduate research assistant in the Department Civil and Environmental Engineering. In these roles, he contributed to applied research projects investigating the transportation outcomes of residential location choices, public dissemination of disaggregate travel survey data, trip generation rates at affordable multifamily housing sites, and public transit system performance. He has also served as a graduate research assistant for the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education at the University of Maryland and as a transportation analyst for KFH Group, Inc. in Bethesda, Maryland.

Mr. Gehrke received his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Portland State University. For his dissertation, he advanced the conceptualization and measurement of land use mix as an environmental determinant of pedestrian travel. He earned his master’s degree in Community Planning at the University of Maryland and holds a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems from Portland State University. Steve also holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Bachelor of Arts in History from New Mexico State University.

Areas of Expertise: Travel behavior research, transportation planning, land use modeling, and data science and analytics.