Public Policy Analytics

Catalog description

This course teaches advanced spatial analysis and an introduction to data science/machine learning in the urban planning and public policy realm. The class focuses on real-world spatial analysis applications and, in combination with introductory machine learning, provides students a modern framework for efficiently allocate limited resources across space. Unlike its private sector counterpart, data science in the public or non-profit sector isn't strictly about optimization - it requires understanding of public goods, governance, and issues of equity. We explore use cases in transportation, housing, public health, land use, criminal justice, and other domains. We will learn novel approaches for understanding and avoiding risks of "algorithmic bias" against communities/people of color as well as communities of different income levels. The format of the class includes weekly lectures/in-class demos and labs. There are seven required assignments, including two projects. Prerequisites include either CPLN503, the summer GIS course or prior experience with GIS in a formal setting. The class is conducted entirely in R. Having experience in R and the ‘tidyverse’ is helpful but not strictly required.