Bradley Bereitschaft, Ph.D.

Research 

My research focuses on the physical form and layout of cities and how the built environment impacts urban livability and sustainability from a variety of environmental, social, and economic perspectives. Recently, I have focused on pursuing two complimentary strands of research; one examining the effects of the yet-evolving creative-knowledge economy on urban spaces, and the other the relationships between the ‘walkability’ of urban spaces and the health and creative productivity of their inhabitants.

Refereed Publications

Bereitschaft, B. 2025. The shifting geography of innovation in the era of COVID-19: Exploring small business innovation and technology awards in the U.S. Urban Science, 9(8), 296. DOI: 10.3390/urbansci9080296 

Bereitschaft, B. 2025. The declining impact of walkability and transit accessibility on U.S. home values during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Housing Research, DOI: 10.1080/10527001.2025.2477938 

Bereitschaft, B. ed. 2024. Equity in the Urban Built Environment. Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781032631110

Bereitschaft, B. 2024. “Equity in Neighborhood Walkability: Challenges and Opportunities.”  In: Equity in the Urban Built Environment, ed. B. Bereitschaft. Routledge. 

Bereitschaft, B. 2024. No Longer just work and play? Exploring recent residential growth within America's "edge cities".  GeoJournal, 89(230). DOI: 10.1007/s10708-024-11231-2

Bereitschaft, B. 2023. Exploring the spatial intersection of small firm innovation, urban form, and demographics in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.  The Professional Geographer, 75(6): 1006-1023 . DOI: 10.1080/00330124.2023.2215841 

Bereitschaft, B. 2023. Do socially vulnerable urban populations have access to walkable, transit-accessible neighborhoods? A nationwide analysis of large U.S. metropolitan areas. Urban Science,  7(1): 6. DOI: 10.3390/urbansci7010006

Bereitschaft, B. 2022. The changing ethno-racial profile of "very walkable" urban neighborhoods in the U.S. (2010-2020): Are minorities under-represented? Urban Studies, 60(4): 638-654. DOI: 10.1177/00420980221110829 

Bereitschaft, B. 2022. “Skylines of the mind: How city building games reflect urban imaginations and shape urban realities.” In: The Routledge Companion to Media and the City, ed. G. Halegoua, B. Kredell, and E. Stein.  

Bereitschaft, B. 2021. Commercial city building games as pedagogical tools: what have we learned? Journal of Geography in Higher Education 47(2):161–187. DOI: 10.1080/03098265.2021.2007524

Bereitschaft, B. 2021. Older adult population and neighborhood walkability by metropolitan area size and degree of urban sprawl. Papers in Applied Geography, 8(3): 249-267. DOI: 10.1080/23754931.2021.1978526

Ivey, R., and Bereitschaft, B. 2021. The impact of walkability on the sales price of commercial properties when controlling for the effects of economic recession: A case study of Omaha, Nebraska. Journal of Real Estate Literature, 29(1): 43-59. DOI: 10.1080/09277544.2021.1946256

Bereitschaft, B., and Scheller, D. 2020. How might the COVID-19 pandemic affect 21st century urban planning, design, and development? Urban Science, 4(4): 56. DOI: 10.3390/urbansci4040056  

Bereitschaft, B. 2020. Gentrification central: A change-based typology of the American urban core, 2000-2015. Applied Geography, 118, 102206. 10.1016/j.apgeog.2020.102206.

Bereitschaft, B. 2020. Gentrification and the evolution of commuting behavior within America’s urban cores, 2000 – 2015. Journal of Transport Geography, 82. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.102559. 

Benson, E., and Bereitschaft, B. 2019. Are LEED-ND developments catalysts of neighborhood gentrification? Intl. J. of Sustainable Urban Development, 12(1): 73-88. DOI: 10.1080/19463138.2019.1658588

Bereitschaft, B. 2019. Are walkable places tech incubators? Evidence from Nebraska's “Silicon Prairie.” Regional Studies, Regional Science, 6(1): 339-356. DOI: 10.1080/21681376.2019.1620631.

Bereitschaft, B. 2019. Neighborhood walkability and housing affordability among U.S. urban areas. Urban Science, 3(1): 11. DOI: 10.3390/urbansci3010011.

Bereitschaft, B. 2019. Exploring perceptions of creativity and walkability in Omaha, NE. City, Culture and Society, 17: 8-19. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccs.2018.08.002.

Bereitschaft, B. 2018. Walk Score(R) vs. residents' perceptions of walkability in Omaha, NE. Journal of Urbanism. DOI: 10.1080/17549175.2018.1484795.

Corrine, H., Verdi Schumacher, M., Lyden, E., Su, D., Furtado, F., Cammack, R., Bereitschaft, B., Van Ormer, M., Needelman, H., McGinn, E., Rilett, K., Cave, C., Johnson, R., Weishaar, K., and Anderson-Berry, A. 2018. Fat-soluble vitamins A and E and health disparities in a cohort of pregnant women at delivery. Journal of Nutritional Science 7, e14: 1-8. DOI: 10.1017/jns.2018.5.

Bereitschaft, B. 2017. Equity in microscale urban design and walkability: A photographic survey of six Pittsburgh streetscapes . Sustainability. 9: 1233. DOI: 10.3390/su9071233  

Bereitschaft, B. 2017. Equity in neighbourhood walkability? A comparative analysis of three large U.S. cities . Local Environment. 22(7): 859-879. DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2017.1297390  

Bereitschaft, B. 2017. Do “creative” and “non-creative” workers exhibit similar preferences for urban amenities? An exploratory case study of Omaha, Nebraska. Journal of Urbanism. 10(2): 198-216.

Debbage, N., Bereitschaft, B., and Shepherd, J.M. 2017. Quantifying the spatiotemporal trends of urban sprawl among large U.S. metropolitan areas via spatial metrics. Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy. 10(3):1-29.

Smith, R.M., and Bereitschaft, B. 2016. Sustainable Urban Development? Exploring the Locational Attributes of LEED-ND Projects in the United States through a GIS Analysis of Light Intensity and Land Use. Sustainability. 8(6): 547.

Bereitschaft, B. 2016. Gods of the city? Reflecting on city building games as an early introduction to urban systems. Journal of Geography. 115(2): 51-60. 

Bereitschaft, B., and Cammack, R. 2015. Georeferenced data employed in the spatial analysis of neighborhood diversity and creative class share in Chicago. Data in Brief. 4: 602-605. 

Bereitschaft, B., and Cammack, R. 2015. Neighborhood diversity and the creative class in Chicago. Applied Geography. 63: 166-183.

Bereitschaft, B. 2015. Pedestrian exposure to near-roadway PM2.5 in mixed-use urban corridors: A case study of Omaha, Nebraska. Sustainable Cities and Society. 15: 64-74.

Bereitschaft, B. 2014. Neighborhood change among creative-cultural districts in mid-sized U.S. metropolitan areas, 2000-2010. Regional Studies, Regional Science. 1(1): 158-183. 

Debbage, K., Bereitschaft, B., and Beaver, E. 2014. The geography of non-earned income in the Piedmont Megapolitan Cluster. Southeastern Geographer. 54(2): 97-117.

Bereitschaft, B., and Debbage, K. 2014. Regional variations in urban fragmentation among U.S. metropolitan and megapolitan areas. Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy. 7(2): 119-147.

Bereitschaft, B., and Debbage, K. 2013. Urban Form, air quality, and CO2 emissions in large U.S. metropolitan areas. The Professional Geographer. 65(4): 612-635. 

Bereitschaft, B. 2008. Spatial-temporal distribution of tropospheric ozone in the Carolina Piedmont Megapolitan Area. North Carolina Geographer. 16: 49-59.

Teaching

Urban Geography (GEOG 4120/8126)

The 21st century is an incredibly exciting time to study cities. No other time in human history have so many people lived in urban areas, nor have cities ever been as dominant and well-connected as they are today. This course is designed to serve as an introduction to the complex and dynamic urban system, including the physical, economic, political, cultural, social, and environmental forces that shape the form and function of cities, as well as how individuals and groups experience urban life. Of particular concern in an increasingly urban world are issues of urban sustainability and the role of cities in environmental, economic, and social change at local to global scales. Therefore, a portion of this course is devoted to understanding cities as a force of change, and how development may be guided to produce healthier, more livable communities.

Urban Sustainability (GEOG 4160/8166)

In Urban Sustainability we explore the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly urbanizing global civilization hungry for energy, land, food, clean air and water. A few of the questions we address include: Can cities – or civilization in general – ever be truly sustainable? How could cities – even those that are currently crowded, poor, and dirty – contribute to global sustainability? Is there an ideal urban form? How can cities mitigate and adapt to climate change? As a geographer, my hope is that by completing this course you not only learn a great deal about sustainability, cities, and global change, but also how geography and the geographic perspective is uniquely suited to address many of the most challenging issues of our time.

Introduction to Physical Geography (GEOG 1030)

GEOG 1030 is a survey course in physical and environmental geography, designed to introduce students to the major natural systems of the Earth, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere, and how people impact, and are impacted by, earth systems at local to global scales. Specific topics typically include weather and climate, atmospheric pollution, climate change, plate tectonics, the rock cycle, earthquakes, volcanism, river systems and hydrology, glaciers, and glacial landscapes.