Beth Wielde Heidelberg, Professor

Profile

Beth Heidelberg has been with the department since 2003, serving as a ‘utility player’ who, having degrees in both planning and administration, can teach in both the MAUS and the MAUP program.  She completed her Master of Arts in Urban Planning at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and her Doctorate of Public Administration at Hamline University.  Her area of speciality is local government systems in the United States, and heritage preservation policy as it applies to local government.

Heidelberg’s research interest focuses on the impact of dark tourism on local government; specifically, what city-specific issues a local government might face when it is the location of a tragedy that has entered long-term legend, and the dilemma they face when they know people are visiting the community to learn more about it.  The practice of dark tourism has a history that dates back to ancient times, but it is a relatively new academic focus, and Heidelberg is one of the first to examine it from the perspective of local governance.