Dr. Sternberg studies the relationship between planning theory and planning practice and has strong interests in the intellectual history of planning thought. Over the years, he has sought ways of applying planning ideas to many planning subfields. In varied articles over the years, he has suggested concepts for understanding urban forests, urban design, hazards and disaster mitigation, and several subfields of economic development planning, including tourism development and the creation of technology-intensive economic regions. He has an additional interest in the study of how radical ideologies affect perceptions of public affairs.
Dr. Sternberg teaches graduate planning practicum, which has a different topic each semester. He and his students have worked with local governments and nonprofit groups to investigate topics ranging from heritage development and wind-energy planning to local industrial development and general community planning. He teaches our introductory graduate course “Physical, Environmental and Land Use Planning,” a graduate seminar “Advanced Planning Theory,” and the required course on MUP final projects.