MPA Variant

Course Outline

Each section of the course focuses on one or more management or policy issues, and all except Section 5 include at least one case study of an infrastructure system or infrastructure component.

Section 1: Introduction to Infrastructure and Infrastructure Systems

Management Issues: deterioration of infrastructure, funding needs, managing infrastructure from a systems perspective

Case Study: Syracuse Water Supply System

Section 2: Introduction to Public-Private Partnerships

Management Issue: Funding infrastructure

Case Study: PPP for Bayonne, NJ Water Supply

Section 3:Infrastructure Spotlight: Water Supply

Management Issues: Capacity planning, alternatives development, climate change

Case Study: San Diego Water Supply

Section 4:Infrastructure Spotlight: Roads, Highways, and Bridges

Management issues: Economic, social and environmental impacts; financing for infrastructure, models for decision-making

Case Studies: I-81 Viaduct (Syracuse), I-70 East (Denver), Tappan Zee Bridge, Des Moines Bridges to Opportunity project

Section 5:Cable and Wireless Infrastructure

Management Issues: disruptive technology, equitable infrastructure investments

Section 6:Financing, Constructing, and Operating Infrastructure

Case Studies: Detroit Freeway Lighting, Tolt Water Treatement Plant (Seattle), I-70 East P3 (Denver) , I-36 P3 (Colorado)

Course Materials, Readings and Assignments (abridged):

Section 1: Introduction to Infrastructure and Infrastructure Systems

Management Issues: deterioration of infrastructure, funding needs, managing infrastructure from a systems perspective

Course Materials and Readings:

  • Infrastructure Report Card, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2013.
  • “A Time for Renewal,” The Economist, March 16, 2013, pp. 1-5
  • “The Unseen City,” Future Structure, the Governing Institute, June 2014, pp. 1-5.
  • “From Inventions to Systems” in Engineering Systems, Weck, Roos, and Magee, 2011.
  • “Models of Infrastructure Sectors” in Infrastructure Finance, Neil S. Grigg, 2010,
  • “Sustainable Infrastructure after the Automobile Age,” Jeffrey Sachs, The Boston Globe, Sept. 26, 2016.

Optional readings:

  • How to read Highway Plans:

Assignments:

  • Three volunteers will each take one major infrastructure project or system (e.g. New York subway system; national interstate system; LAX; high speed rail project; Hoover Dam; Mississippi River levee system, Singapore Airport) and will prepare a five minute talk to the class about the project.
  • Team assignment: Creat a graphics-heary presentation showing how Smart Tech can be incorporated into one of the infrastructure sector.

Section 2: Introduction to Public-Private Partnerships

Management Issue: Funding infrastructure

Course Materials and Readings:

  • “Trump Versus Clinton on Infrastructure,” Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro, Oct. 27, 2016 pp. 4 -5.
  • A Tale of Two Public-Private Partnerships, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  • In American Towns, Private Profits From Public Works, Danielle Ivory, Ben Protess and GriffPalmerdec, New York Times, December 24, 2016
  • Beyond Privatization: Rethinking Private Sector Involvement in the Provision of Civil Infrastructure, Richard Little in Physical Infrastructure Development, Ascher and Krupp, 2010, Palgrave Macmillan, pp 69-95
  • Water Infrastructure: Approaches and Issues for Financing Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure, GAO, 2013

Optional Reading:

  • Highway Public Private Partnerships, GAO 2008, particularly pages 18-38

Guest Speaker:

  • Jeffrey Scruggs, Managing Director for Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking at Goldman Sachs.

Assignment: Write a reflective review of the presentation and discussion the class had with guest speaker Jeffrey Scruggs.

Section 3: Water Supply

Management Issues: Capacity planning, alternatives development, climate change

Course Materials and Readings: Technical component

  • Infrastructure, A guide to the IndustrialLandscape. Brian Hayes, 2015. Pp. 61-62, 75-92.
  • Green River Watershed Management Plan Volume II, Tacoma Water, August 2008.

Course Materials and Readings: Case Studies and Contemporary Issues

  • Nation’s Largest Ocean Desalination Plant goes up near San Diego, Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 5/29/ 2014. State’s biggest Desal Plant to Open: What it means, Bradley J. Fikes, San Diego Union Tribune, Dec. 13, 2015.
  • The Future is Drying Up, Jon Gertner, New York Times, 10/21/ 2007
  • Arizona’s Water Future: Colorado River Shortage, Western Resouces Advocates, 2017
  • Reclamation: Managing Water in the West, Department of the Interior, 2017,
  • How did the Oroville Dam Get so Bad?, David A. Graham, The Atlantic, February 13, 2017
  • Syracuse has suffered more than 100 water main breaks this year, Chris Bake, The Post-Standard, May 5, 2016.

Assignment: Write a 2 page policy brief describing what decisions and policies you recommend San Diego County make to ensure its water supply over the next 10 to 20 years.

Section 4: Transportation

Management Issues: Infrastructure impacts, finding financing for infrastructure, using models for decision-making

Course Materials and Readings:Technical Component

  • Urban Transportation Planning: A Decision Oriented Approach, Michael Meyer and Eric Miller, 2nd Edition, 2001 (selected pages)
  • Introduction to Transportation Engineering and Planning, Edward Morlok, McGraw Hill, 1978 (selected pages)
  • Bureau of Local Roads and Streets Manual, Illinois Department of Transportation, October, 2008 (selected pages)
  • Delaware Department of Transportation, Division of Planning and Policy, Final Order, 2 DE Administrative code 2309 Standards and Regulations for Subdivision Streets and State Highway Access
  • Standard Specification for Graded Aggregate Material For Bases or Subbases for Highways or Airports, ASTM Standard, Designation: D2940/D2940M − 15

Course Materials and Readings: Case Studies and Contemporary Issues

  • The City Shaper, Robert Caro, The New Yorker, January 5, 1998.
  • A Citizen’s Guide to NEPA, Council on Environmenta Quality, Office of the President, December, 2007.
  • 2016 Bridges to Opportunity, Des Moines’ Community Connection, Des Moines TIGER application, City of Des Moines, 2016.
  • Tappan Zee Bridge Repair Project, 2009 TIGER application, New York State Thruway Authority.
  • I-81 Viaduct Project Scoping Report, New York State Department of Transportation and the US Department of Transportation, April 2015.
  • I-70 East Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1, Colorado Department of Transportation, January 2016.

Optional Reading:

  • Moving to Equity: Addressing Inequitable Effects of Transportation Policies on Minorities, Thomas W. Sanchez, Rich Stolz, and Jacinta S. Ma, The Civil Rights Project, Harvard Univerity, 2003.

Assignments:

  • Write a short paper comparing the proposed Scope of Work for the 1-81 EIS (Syracuse NY) to the actual analyses undertaken for the I-70EIS (Denver) (for one impact category)
  • Compare the quality and scope of the TIGER applications from the City of Des Moines and the NY State Thruway Authority. Which project do you think was funded?

Section 5: Cable and the Internet Sector

Management Issues: disruptive technology, equitable infrastructure investments

Course Materials and Readings:

  • Powell: Infrastructure Plan Should Target the Underserved, John Eggerton, Broadcasting and Cable, Feb 01, 2017.

Guest Speaker: Nomi Bergman, senior executive at Advance/Newhouse companies and formerPresident of Bright House Networks .

Assignment:

  • Prepare reflections on the presentation and discussion the class had with guest speaker Nomi Bergman.

Section 6: Financing and Constructing Infrastructure

Course Materials and Readings:

  • Is Public Expenditure Productive? David Alan Aschauer, Journal of MonetaryEconomics, Volume 23, Issue 2,March 1989, pp. 177-183.
  • Private Capital, Public Good, Patrick Sabol and Robert Puentes, Brookings, Decmber 2014.
  • If You Build It: A Guide to the Economics of Infrastructure Investment, Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Ryan Nunn, and Greg Nantz, The Hamilton Project, Brookings, 2017.
  • Using Public-Private Partnerships to Carry Out Highway Projects, Congressional Budget Office, January 2012..
  • Case Studies: Infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships, Bipartisan Policy Center, 2016.

Guest Speaker: Ken Kaufman, private engineering consultant, formerly Director of Grants and Construction for Wastewater and Stormwater, Onondaga County, NY.

VI. Projects

Students will work on team projects. Projects should address a current issue in infrastructure management or planning, and should include both technical and a policy elements. Example projects include: work with the Innovation Team of the City of Syracuse on smart city projects;; research with Dr. Steinberg on smart city implementation in central NY cities; policy formulation in collaboaration with consulting firm OBG on policy development for water distribution line replacement in the case of lead piping. Assignments related to the project include:

  • A memo describing your progress on developing your project is due on February 20.
  • Suggested Scope of Work is due on February 24th. (may be submitted earlier)
  • Meetings with Dr. Steinberg during the week of Feb. 27th to review/finalize the project scope
  • Finalized Scope due on March 6. (may be finalized earlier)
  • 5 minute team presentation to the class on project: March 8
  • 50% completion report is due on April 6th
  • Class Presentations on the Project: April 26th and May 1st
  • Final Project Report Due: May 10