Course Syllabus

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SPEA-V 264: Cities and Public Policy

Indiana University Northwest | School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA)

Section: 18012 | Credit Hours: 3.0

Term & Format: 2nd 8-Weeks Accelerated | Modality: 100% Online (Asynchronous)

Instructor Information

  • Instructor: Prof. Steven J. Casey

  • Email: stjcasey@iu.edu

  • Phone: 219-981-5616

  • Virtual Office Hours: By appointment via Zoom or phone

  • Communication Policy: Emails sent Monday through Friday will receive a response within 24 hours.

Course Overview & Policy Lab Focus

Welcome to SPEA-V 264. This course examines the economic structure, governance challenges, and policy alternatives shaping modern cities.

Rather than a traditional survey lecture course, this section is designed as an applied case-based policy lab. In place of a commercial textbook, we work directly with Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School case studies examining real cities navigating complex public decisions:

  • Infrastructure & Logistics: Untangling Chicago’s century-old rail congestion bottlenecks.

  • Municipal Finance & PILOTs: Pittsburgh’s negotiations with tax-exempt "meds and eds" non-profits consuming city services.

  • Public Sector Innovation: Evaluating how municipal governments balance artificial intelligence automation with human workforce needs.

  • Program Evaluation: Diagnosing implementation and data integrity breakdowns in New York City’s youth initiatives.

Each week, you will step into the role of a public decision-maker, evaluate data from real case exhibits, and defend policy recommendations in peer discussions. The course culminates in an applied Downtown/Neighborhood Revitalization Strategic Plan focused on a community of your choice (e.g., Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, a Chicago neighborhood, or your home municipality).

Required Course Materials ($0 Textbook Cost)

All readings are provided at no cost through Indiana University Northwest Library database subscriptions or Canvas module downloads:

  1. Building Cities: A Technical Note – A. I. Segel & O. O. Hartleben (HBS Note No. 9-213-006) – Available in Canvas Modules.

  2. The 4 Types of Cities and How to Prepare Them for the Future – J. D. Macomber (HBR Reprint H02LDB) – Direct IUN Proxy Link.

  3. Rethinking Cities: Chicago on the Move – R. M. Kanter & A. J. Malone (HBS Case No. 9-314-079) – Available in Canvas Modules.

  4. Pittsburgh: A Successful City? – K. Mills, C. Elkins, V. Gandhi, G. Elanbeck, & Z. Gillman (HBS Case No. 9-322-080) – Available in Canvas Modules.

  5. How U.S. Cities Are Using AI to Solve Common Problems – M. Bitton, E. Haas, & P. Hirshberg (HBR Reprint H08I0N) – Direct IUN Proxy Link.

  6. New York City’s Teen ACTION Program: An Evaluation Gone Awry – A. Datla & D. Levy (HKS Case No. 2027.0) – Available in Canvas Modules.

Note: Database permalinks require an active IU Northwest student login. If you are cross-enrolled from another IU campus, contact Nicholas Casas (Associate Librarian, Teaching & Learning) at ncasas@iu.edu or (219) 980-6806 for access assistance.

Grading & Assessment Breakdown

  • Weekly Case Memos & Data Exercises: 30%

  • Discussion Board Policy Labs & Peer Critiques: 25%

  • Midterm Policy Brief: 15%

  • Revitalization Strategic Plan (Final Capstone Project): 30%

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Course Summary
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