Development is recognized to inherently be a spatially uneven process—some places advance in the competition to be innovative and prosperous while others are left behind. Policy for local and regional development is necessary to assist both the goals of enhancing competitive regions and ensuring that others do not fall too far behind. The goal of this course is to ensure policy makers understand the need for local and regional development policies and that they are equipped to provide those policies. Thus this course takes a three pronged approach: 1) students develop a foundation in the theories of local and regional development; 2) examine existing policies and the contexts in which they are used; and 3) by undertaking a virtual policy making experience, explore how policies are used in a city of the Greater Bay Area. The GBA is used as a locus for the students’ explorations because it is an exemplar of policy success, yet exhibits the need for further policy support for its competitiveness, overcome intra-regional disparities and to diffuse the benefits of its development.