Scrivner Institute Community Profiles: Dr. Lapo Salucci

Lapo Salucci, Teaching Associate Professor 

1. How long have you worked with the MPP program at DU? What initially attracted you to this program? 

I have worked with the MPP program since 2010. The practical side of the teaching was what attracted me to the program.  

2. What classes do you teach?  

Classes on Public Policy, Urban Policy, Demography and Data Preparation.  

3. What are your research interests?  

My research interests are centered on cities and how they and their citizens change over time.  

4. Please tell us more about one project you’re working on currently. 

I am working on a book on the policy determinants of mobility across US cities with my co-author, Kenneth N. Bickers of the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

5. You are the longest-serving faculty member in the MPP program. What are the strengths of the program now that it is housed at Korbel and has become part of the Scrivner Institute? 

I like that we have much more interaction with a larger faculty with many different interests and backgrounds.  

6. You’re the MPP capstone advisor. What do you like best about working with students on their capstone projects?  

It is extremely rewarding to help students develop their expertise in policy analysis and see them mature through the process.  

7. What are some of the most diverse capstone topics that you’ve seen?  

We’ve had an enormous variation in capstone topics, ranging from the issue of homelessness to the state of the Colorado river basin.  

8. What is your favorite activity/assignment to do in your classes?  

I like asking a set of students to agree or disagree with a controversial statement and let them explain the reasoning behind their agreement or disagreement. Then other students can ask them questions and the discussion can develop further.  

9. Any additional fun facts?

I have completed the first two levels of a sommelier course.  

10. What do you like most about Denver? Do you have any favorite place or activity in town you want to share with our community? 

Denver is a human-sized city, with a lot to offer to people of different interests and backgrounds. The city has evolved enormously in the last fifteen years; a change that brought challenges and opportunities. With my daughter, we like to go to Osaka Ramen and Cart-Driver pizza.