Keith Ratner


Professional Details

Title Chairperson
Department Geography and Sustainability
Office Meier Hall 326A
Phone 978.542.6226
Email keith.ratner@salemstate.edu
Resume Keith Ratner
Photo of Keith Ratner

Recent and Upcoming Courses

GPH 105 Foundations of Global Studies: People, Place, and Environment
GPH 105H Foundations of Global Studies: People Places and Environment (honors)
GPH 115 Global Climate Change: Causes and Consequences
GPH 140 Introduction to Maps and Geographical Information Systems
GPH 222 Environment & Cultures of the United States
GPH 245 Cartography and Mapping Technology
GPH 317 Transportation, Geography and Society
GPH 373 Land Use Planning and Analysis
GPH 402 Study-travel Seminar
GPH 410 Internship in Geography
GPH 600H Honors Directed Study in Geography
GPH 945 Geographic Information System Project Implementation
GPH 965 Seminar in Geographic Information Systems

Professional Biography

Dr. Keith A. Ratner is a Professor of geography specializing in urban geography, urban and transportation planning, and GIS implementation and development.  He joined the Department of Geography at Salem State College in 1999 upon completing his PhD in geography at the University of Denver.  Prior to entering the University of Denver, he obtained a Master of Regional Planning from Penn State University, and a Bachelors of Science in Natural Resource Development from Michigan State University.  He worked for eleven years as a professional planner in New England at the local, regional and state levels of government.  His research projects since arriving at Salem State have included an investigation into the regionalization of transportation planning north of Boston, the use of three dimensional data for the determination of road lengths for federal reporting requirements, the analysis of regional development changes related to transit oriented development in Denver, Colorado, and the success and failure of track sharing between passenger and freight railroads.

Professional Interests

"Identifying "True" transit oriented development (TOD) in Denver". NCIT grant project completed in 2011 and awaiting 2nd round of funding.

Public transportation in North America.

Responsibilities

Graduate Program Coordinator, Geo-Information Science, Salem State University

Chairman, Salem State College Graduate Education Council

Coordinator, Salem State College Services in Lieu of Taxes (SILOT) program

Selected Publications

"Use of Orthophoto Imagery with Integrated Elevation Values to determine roadway lengths". $25,000 project with Massachusetts FTA Transportation Research Program.

"The issues and problems of regional planning in New England". North of Boston Regional Center

"Regional transportation planning in the parochial north of Boston area". North of Boston Regional Center

Selected Presentations

"Creating and Restoring Town and Village Centers: The Big Picture" Organizing for Community Developmnet Workshop, MA Department of Community Development

"Ride the "T" and See TOD in Metropolitan Boston" - Field Trip at Annual Meeting Association of American Geographers, Boston, MA

"The Changing World of Roadway Mapping and Measurement" - Annual Meeting of Association of American Geographers, Boston, MA

Member of Panel on "The Geographical Legacy of the American Freeway Revolt" - Annual Meeting of Association of American Geographers, San Francisco, CA

"Tracking the Land Use Impact of New Rapid Transit Development in Denver, CO". NESTVAL, Keene, NH.

Personal Interests

Riding Public Transit

Riding Bicycles

Traveling

Being outside