1 Syllabus Urban Studies 301 Urban Development Spring Semester 2010 Professor: Dr. William M. Bowen Class: Tuesdays, 6-9:50PM Office hours: by appointment Office: Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Room 219 Phone: 216-687-9226 Email: [email protected] Course Description This course focuses upon the evolution and changing form of the metropolitan region, the linkages and interactions among centers and sub-centers of population and economic activity, and the relationships of the components of metropolitan areas to the regional systems of which they are a part. Some of these linkages and interactions are within the markets of land, labor, and capital. Others are between these traditional markets and space, government, neighborhoods, and elements within the natural environment. For the most part, these linkages will be framed spatially – we will learn a few basic concepts and tools of urban and regional analysis to help us to understand spatial decision-making and its implications for regional development. We will develop a way of thinking about cities and regions—we take a systematic approach to investigating the foundations of spatial economic decision-making in each of the above areas, and then consider how aggregates of individual-level decisions may promote or impede urban development. Major questions addressed include: 1. What determines the location pattern of urban places and urban regions within nations and geographical regions? 2. What is meant by a system of cities/metropolitan areas/regions across space? 3. What are the relationships of cities/metropolitan areas/regions one to another? 4. What is a hierarchy of cities? 5. What determines resource and commodity flows among economic regions? 6. What determines the characteristics and spatial distribution of economic and social spaces within urban areas? 7. What is the role of market forces in shaping the urban landscape? 8. What is the importance of these market forces? 9. Do market forces always result in the “highest and best use” of urban space? 10. What are the public tools for shaping and reshaping urban space?2 Course Requirements Text: John P. Blair and Michael C. Carroll (2009). Local Economic Development: Analysis and Practices and Globalization. 2nd Edition. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. Access: Predictable and reliable use of internet and email Prerequisite: Successful completion of UST300 (Economics of Policy Analysis) or ECN202 (Principles of Microeconomics) Effort: As for all college and university courses, you should plan on a minimum of three hours outside of class for each credit hour (see CSU’s Hints on Planning a Better Time Schedule). Since this is a four hour course, some quick math reveals that this class will require a minimum of 12 hours of work outside of class every week. You should anticipate using all 12 of them – some weeks you might need more, some weeks you might need less Course Method The course consists of the following components (1) readings, (2) lectures and discussions, (3) urban development connections memos, and (4) examinations. Readings: Prepare for each class by reading the assigned materials in advance of the lecture and identifying topics that may need additional clarification in class. This will constitute your first exposure to the course content. Make full use of this reading time by taking notes and forming questions to ask during lecture. Additional readings will be assigned periodically. Lectures and Discussions: Students are expected to: prepare for and attend all classes, participate actively in discussions, ask clarifying questions, be prepared at all times to answer questions in class about the readings. Lectures and discussions serve to discuss and review the content of the assigned readings, not to introduce it. Lectures and discussions will constitute your second exposure to the course material. Feel free to raise questions to ensure that you thoroughly understand the material. Lectures will be the most valuable (and least stress-inducing to you) if you have done the assigned readings first. Urban Development Connections Memos: Over the course of the semester you will write four (not more than 2-page) memos covering current urban or regional development issues within one or more of Ohio’s jurisdictions. In each memo you will connect a development issue to the topics covered in class. This will constitute your third exposure to the course content. The first half of the memo will summarize the issue. The second half will relate the course material to the issue. Considering the course material in the context of an applied issue or problem will provide a third exposure to the material.3 Each memo should be neatly typed using a word processor. Hand-written memos will not be accepted. CSU has excellent computer resources – you should make yourself familiar with them and utilize them fully and frequently. Since memos also serve the goal of sharpening communication skills required to competently use the knowledge and information in this class, students are advised to pay attention to completeness, consistency and clarity. If you have difficulty expressing yourself in writing, you are strongly encouraged to seek help at the CSU Writing Center (http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/writingcenter/), 216-687-6981. A signed, dated note from a staff member at the Writing Center testifying that you visited and used the help available there for writing a memo for UST301 will earn you 2 points on the next exam. Grading is partially based upon soundness of analytical reasoning, effectiveness of interpretation, and communication of results. Spill-chick end prufe reed ever thing ewe hand in. Note that spell-checking and proofreading are not the same things. Critically evaluate all work handed in for correctness, completeness, and clarity. Only memos that have perfect spelling and that are grammatically and syntactically error-free will earn a grade of ‘A.’ All memos must be handed in as a “hard copy.” No e-mail, e-mail attachments, faxes, etc. will be accepted. Examinations: The course will include two exams, a midterm and a final. Exams are cumulative, and closed book. They will cover the material in the assigned readings as well as the lectures and