3 credits
Fall 2026 Lecture Upper Division
This course provides the student with an in depth understanding of the issues related to infrastructure planning, engineering, and economics. The focus will be on the prioritization, stewardship, management and decision-making roles within the engineering division of a large public works agency. Various infrastructure planning concepts will be reviewed and discussed. Numerous case studies will be described and discussed, which will demonstrate that in order to plan and implement a successful public works project, many controversial issues must be faced and difficult problems must be solved. Decision-making at agency and other levels of government will be discussed with respect to reports prepared by planners covering engineering feasibility, environmental and social impact assessments, and financial and economic analyses. Evolving modern planning issues will be introduced and discussed, including sustainability; environmental economics; environmental justice; uncertainty and risk-benefit analysis; partnerships with private entities versus total privatization; and the optimum staff-mix utilization in-house versus outsourcing.
Learning Outcomes1Learn methods for formulating and analyzing infrastructure projects.
2Learn concepts of management of public works planning and implementation.
3Learn principal methodologies of the interdisciplinary analyses of infrastructure projects.
4Learn prioritization, stewardship, management and decision making for public works projects.
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.