This module is concerned with the nature of urban economies.  Taught at an introductory level, it examines why and how urban economies take particular forms across the world.  A crucial element of the module is to examine the influence of various global, national and regional factors that impact upon urban economies, such as the rise of globalisation, social inequalities and environmental issues.  One further important aspect of the module is to examine impact of planning and policy on urban economies. These areas are generally concerned with fostering economic prosperity and societal equalities, often by modifying people’s behaviour to alleviate undesirable effects of wealth-generating activities. Understanding the nature of these urban economies is therefore of crucial importance for all planning and policy making activity.  The module uses lectures to introduce key analytical ideas, concepts and readings, and seminars to enable students to understand and explore these ideas in more detail.

• Identify and describe why urban areas exist;
• Understand and explain the role of external economies in urban areas;
• Critically analysis why cities are particular sizes;
• Describe and understand the various models of urban growth;
• Explain why particular urban land use patterns arise;
• Understand and critically analyse the impact of urban planning and policy on urban economies;
• Compare the various forms of urban economic governance, including the impact of devolution;
• Understand and critically analyse contemporary urban economic issues, such as social inequalities;
• Comprehend, compare and contrast the experiences of different cities across the globe.

The module content will be delivered through lectures and a comprehensive set of lecture handouts. These will be supported by tutorials where the students can engage with the course content in an interactive way. Students are given questions and analytical problems for discussion in the tutorials in order to allow them to apply the course content.

Students will have an opportunity to develop and be expected to demonstrate the following skills through contributions to debates and written assessments and exams:

Academic skills:

• analyse urban economies and isolate relevant factors and causal relations;
• an appreciation of aims, values and interests that characterise urban economic planning and policy-making;
• appraise the stance taken by policy-makers and society toward key urban economic issues;
• describe urban economic issues and develop appropriate solutions;
• compare and contrast the experiences of cities across the globe.

Subject-specific skills:

• apply urban analysis to policy issues;
• present explanations of economic issues;
• reflect in tying urban analysis to policy and planning problems;
• access relevant web-based economic information. 

Employability skills:

• Develop reasoned arguments, both orally and in written form, and demonstrate the ability to critically assess and evaluate evidence and claims;
• provide reasoned judgment on choices of policy actions;
• develop solutions to real world problems;
• communicate ideas clearly and succinctly.

Students are assessed on their ability to describe, define, understand and critically evaluate key theories and issues in relation to urban economies. The summative assessment will involve one written essay assessment and one exam.  Each assessment takes place at the end of the semester, permitting summative feedback to occur.  Students also receive formative feedback during the tutorials every teaching week. Students are required to achieve an average pass mark of 40% across the two assignments.

Type of assessment

%

Contribution

Title

Duration
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment

Essay

50%

2,000 words

Autumn

Exam

50%

1.5 hrs

Autumn

The potential for reassessment in this module

Students are permitted to be reassessed in a module which they have failed, in line with the course regulations. The reassessment will usually take place during the summer.

1. Why urban areas exist
2. External economies and agglomeration
3. Urban size
4. Urban Growth
5. Urban land use patterns
6. Economic governance of urban areas
7. Urban planning and urban economies
8. Urban regeneration policy
9. EU Urban policy
10. Devolution, City Governance and Economic Performance
11. Cities in the global economy
12. Finance, property and cities
13. Social inequalities, urban economies and the city
14. Urban economies vs environmental issues?
15. ‘Smart cities’
16. Financial capitalism and the city: the case of London
17. Rise, fall and rise of the American city: the case of Chicago
18. European post-socialist cities and economic growth
19. Southeast Asian urban economies

Megacities in the developing world: the case of Mexico city

• O’Sullivan, A. (2012) Urban Economics. New York City: McGraw-Hill

Hague, C., Hague, E. and Breitbach, C. (2011) Regional and Local Economic Development. London: Palgrave Macmillan

• Brooks, N. and Kieran Donaghy, K. (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Urban Economics and Planning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Cheshire, P. Nathan, M. and Overman, H. (2014) Urban Economics and Urban Policy: Challenging Conventional Policy Wisdom. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.

• Glaeser, E. (2012) Triumph of the City. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

• Hartwick, J. (2015) Urban Economics. London: Routledge.

• McCann, P. (2013) Modern Urban and Regional Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Jowsey, E. and Harvey, J. (2013) Urban Land Economics. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Key online sources:

• Lecture handouts on Learning Central
• Office of National Statistics: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html
• Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (statistics and country reports): http://www.oecd.org