Teaching_Shirgaokar_M

Teaching Areas / Interests

Introduction to Transport Geography; Transportation Demand Analysis and Policy Evaluation; International Cases in Transportation and Land Use Planning; Transportation Planning Studio; Multimodal transportation; Geographic Information Systems for Planners; Data Analytics for Planners

University of Colorado Denver (2019- )

URPL 6225: Urban Policy Analytics (G) (Spring 2020-22) (Lecture + Lab; ~8 students)
This lab-based course will teach the statistical skills required to examine urban policy issues. We work with cross-sectional data and rely on R-Studio software. No prior experience with R-Studio is required. To succeed, you are required to keep up with the labs and homework, attend all lectures, and actively work with the instructor/s to develop your term paper.
Goals: The overall goal of this course is to make you data literate. You will build skills including advanced spreadsheet analysis and rigorous statistical testing. You will become familiar with publicly available datasets and learn how to operate preliminary statistical tools.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this course students will:

Become familiar with multiple databases related to Planning;
Learn how to compute changes in the population and the economy;
Learn about survey/research design and sampling;
Conduct appropriate statistical tests;
Learn basic regression analysis ;
Learn how to operate an open-source software (R-studio);
Evolve a policy question that can be answered using publicly available data in a time-constrained setting.

URPL 6250: GIS for Urban Planning (G) (Fall 2019-21) (Lecture + Lab; ~20 students)
Much of the class time will be spent learning the skillsets that will enable you to analyze geo-spatial data. Learning will be through a series of labs, and your skills from the lab will be reinforced through assignments. There are 8 labs in this course and associated homework assignments. You are expected to budget, on average, about 6-9 hours every week for this workload including time in class. Please note that some students will finish the labs and assignments faster than others.
The final product for this course is a term project report which is due on the last day of class. Throughout the semester, I will provide guidance on how to move through the various steps for the term projects. These include: problem identification, problem definition, analysis, and final report. Please note that this term project will be in teams of 2 students.
Goals: The pedagogical emphasis of this course is on how to interpret an urban issue, identify sources for evidence, and analyze spatial information using commercial software. From a practitioner’s perspective, the class will teach students how to be planners who are required to answer policy-related questions using evidence. The methodological focus of this course is to show students how to use commercially available software (ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro) to visualize and analyze spatial data as planners. Students will learn how to apply GIS analysis to real world planning problems using publicly available datasets. This is a hands-on, skills building course with a primary emphasis on city/urban spatial data. Through a series of lectures and lab exercises the students will learn how to identify key spatial issues, run analyses on the gathered information, and present output as maps.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this course the students will be able to:

Select and create appropriate thematic maps for data with different levels of measurement;
Design attractive, readable and useful maps through good cartographic practice;
Utilize geoprocessing tools (e.g., buffer, intersection, union, clip/erase, spatial join) to address planning questions;
Use spatial data showing real-world planning problems, and present possible policy recommendations for resolving planning issues;
Process and analyze GIS data related to the urban and regional planning profession;
Make an effective report of the kind that planners are routinely asked to make for decision-makers and the public.

URPL 6555: Transportation, Land Use, and the Environment (G) (Spring 2019-22) (Lecture + Seminar; ~15 students)
This is a survey of the transportation planning field and will give you the foundation to understand what the various modes of transportation do for society—both in terms of benefits and costs. We will visit various aspects that inform transportation policy and planning. From a professional standpoint, this course sets the foundation on which many practical planning decisions are made.
Goals: The course is a survey of the wide field of transportation planning. Students will be trained in thinking about transportation in relation to land use and environmental considerations. The course provides an opportunity for students to investigate real-world transportation planning/policy issues that are of interest to them.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this course students will be able to:

Understand the purpose and structure of transportation data;
Write a technical transportation policy memo;
Lead a meeting through development of agenda and discussion points;
Examine a complex, open-ended issue within a fixed deadline (through a term paper);
Justify evidence-based positions on transportation issues as would practicing planners.

URPL 6560: Transit, Bike & Ped Planning (G) (Fall 2019-21) (Lecture; ~15 students)
To train you in the planning of transit, bicycling, or pedestrian infrastructure, we will go through the planning, operations, and analytical portions with a focus on who rides, what are the constraints, and how to plan. In the first eight teaching sessions, we’ll focus on bicycling and pedestrian networks, and shift to transit planning in the latter half of the course. Your interest in this topic along with keeping up with readings and homework should equip you with tools that you can bring to the job market.
Goals and Learning Objectives:
This course is designed to impart the toolkit of how to plan for a multimodal transportation network with a focus on non-automobile modes. At the end of this course, students will be able to:

Explain the transportation needs and behavioral/user/vehicle profiles of different roadway users;
Understand the core design principles and processes for infrastructure for people on transit, walking, or bicycling;
Apply critical thinking skills to evaluate alternatives for multimodal planning and design.
Build skills in acquiring transit-, pedestrian-, and bicycle-related data, applying analytical methods, and interpreting results;
Recognize the role of partnerships and cultivate leadership skills.

DSPL 7014: PhD Colloquium (G) (Spring 2021) (Seminar; ~5 students)
Presentations of research projects by students, college faculty members, and visitors.

University of Alberta (2014-18)

HGP 211: Design Fundamentals for Planners (UG) (Winter 2018-16) (Studio; ~20 students)
PLAN 570/HGP 570/HGP 470: Geographical Information Systems (G/UG) (Winter 2018-15) (Lecture + Lab; ~30 students)
PLAN 585/HGP 485: Transportation Planning and Policy (G/UG) (Fall 2018/2016, Winter 2015) (Lecture + Seminar; ~25 students)

University of California, Berkeley ( 2013-12; 2000)

CYPLAN 218: Transportation Planning Studio (G) (Spring 2013) (Studio; ~15 students) (Co-taught as Lecturer with Deakin, E.)
(IN)CITY: Plan Preparation Studio (UG) (Summer 2012) (Studio; ~15 students) (Co-taught as Lecturer with Guthrie, D., and Frick, K.)
ED 4: People and the Environment (UG) (Spring 2000) (Seminar; ~10 students) (Teaching assistant for Lyndon, D. and Martin, W.M.)

Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, India (1997-98)

Sciography and Perspective (UG) (Spring 1998) (Lecture + Studio; ~40 students)
Solid Geometry (UG) (Fall 1997) (Lecture + Studio; ~40 students)

Advising and Thesis Committees

External

Doddamani, C., “A study on the effects of built environment measures on vehicle ownership and travel behavior: the context of Hubli-Dharwad cities”, 2022 (PhD in Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi – External examiner)

University of Colorado Denver
Doctoral

Nobler, E., “Title TBD”, 2019- (PhD in Geography, Planning, and Design – Chair)
Coppola, N., “Where the Sidewalk Begins: Evaluating Pedestrian Infrastructure, Planning, and Equity Using GIS and Big Data”, 2019-21 (PhD in Civil Engineering Systems; candidacy / thesis defense – External examiner)

Master’s

Akcicek, C., “Investigating Spatiotemporal Patterns of Paratransit Service in Denver Metropolitan Region”, 2021-22 (MURP Planning Thesis – Chair)
Melorango, S., “Making the wheels on the bus go round and round: Factors to Make U.S. Bus Service Efficient and Effective”, 2020-21 (MURP Planning Thesis – Chair) (Ms. Melorango is an intern at OV Consulting, Denver)
Gibson, P., “Roads versus Sidewalks: How American cities fund and maintain them differently and why it matters”, 2021 (Master’s Thesis in Civil Engineering Systems – External examiner)
Green, J., “Assessing ongoing gentrification and risk in suburban bedroom communities: Findings from metro Denver”, 2019-21 (MURP Planning Thesis – Chair) (Mr. Green is an Associate at Clarion Associates, Denver)

University of Alberta Edmonton
Doctoral

Reynard, D., “Carbon pricing and its effect on mobility and social exclusion in Canada”, 2017-20 (PhD in Urban Planning – Co-chair) (Dr. Reynard is currently a Senior Data Analyst at Employment and Social Development, Government of Canada)
Chen, Y., “An accessibility-based framework for enhancing a socially resilient and sustainable urban built environment for seniors”, 2018 (PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering; candidacy defense – External examiner)
Nielsen, C., “The geography of being born too small and spatiotemporal relationships with the outdoor environment”, 2018 (PhD in Human Geography and Medical Sciences + Pediatrics; thesis defense – Internal examiner)
Talaei, A., “Analysis of long-term energy efficiency improvement and GhG mitigation potential in Canada’s manufacturing industries”, 2017 (PhD in Mechanical Engineering; candidacy defense – External examiner)