Sanjoy Chakravorty
Office 335 Gladfelter
Office hours 11:45 to 1:00 (Tuesday and Thursday) or by appointment.
Tel: 204-7664 or e-mail: sanjoy@astro.ocis.temple.edu
Some knowledge of fundamental economic principles is critical to a coherent understanding of the processes shaping economic spaces, in the US and around the world. Deindustrialization, suburbanization, the decline of the inner city, regional growth and decline, public services and public finance, equity and efficiency, etc., are issues that are common concerns of students of the social sciences. This course is a analytical but largely non-mathematical introduction to economic models and principles guiding growth and change in cities and metropolitan regions, with an emphasis on the US urban economy.
Grading will depend on the following elements:
Term paper and presentation (weeks 12 and 13): 40%
Final exam (week 14): 25%
Mini presentation (during weeks 5 through 11): 25%
Class participation: 10%
You are required to purchase one book and a course packet, both available at the bookstore.
Required Book:
Arthur O'Sullivan, 1996, Urban Economics, Chicago: Irwin.
Contents of Course Packet:
Alonso, W. A. 1960. A Theory of the Urban Land Market. Papers and Proceedings of the Regional Science Association. vol. 6. pp. 149-158.
Arnott, R. 1987. Economic Theory and Housing. in Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics. Volume 2. Ed. E. S. Mills. Chapter 24 (pp. 959-988). New York: North-Holland
Blair, J. P. 1995. Local Economic Development: Analysis and Practice. Chapter 6 (pp. 116-144). Thousand Oaks, Ca.: Sage Publications.
Chisholm, M. 1987. Regional Development: the Reagan-Thatcher Legacy. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy. vol. 5. pp. 197-218.
Hirsch, W. Z. 1973. Urban Economic Analysis. Chapter 12 (pp. 348-395). New York: McGraw Hill Book Company.
Kasarda, J. D. and Crenshaw, E. M. 1991. Third World Urbanization: Dimensions, Theories, and Determinants. Annual Review of Sociology. vol. 17. pp. 467-501.
Prud'Homme, R. 1987. Financing Urban Public Services. in Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics. Volume 2. Ed. E. S. Mills. Chapter 30 (pp. 1179-1206). New York: North-Holland.
Richardson, H. W. and Townroe, P. M. 1986. Regional Policies in Developing Countries. in Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics. Volume 1. Ed. P. Nijkamp. Chapter 16 (pp. 647-678). New York: North-Holland.
Rogers, A. 1967. Theories of Intra-Urban Spatial Structure: A Dissenting View. Land Economics. vol. XLIII. pp. 108-112.
Sawhill, I. V. 1988. Poverty in the U.S.: Why is it so persistent? Journal of Economic Literature. vol. 26. pp. 1073-119.
Scott, A. J. and Storper, M. 1992. Regional Development Reconsidered. in Regional Development and Contemporary Industrial Response: Extending Flexible Specialization. Ed. H. Ernste and V. Meier. pp. 3-24. London and New York: Bellhaven Press.
Stanback, T. M. 1991. The New Suburbanization: Challenge to the Central City. Chapter 4 (pp. 57-82). Boulder, Co.: Westview Press.
Note: This is the minimum reading you are expected to complete. These readings will lead you to a bibliography of material on the area you are interested in--both for the mini presentation and the term paper.
Week 1 (9/4): Introduction; why cities exist.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapter 2 and Appendix (Tools of microeconomics)
Week 2 (9/11): Where and how many cities.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapters 3 and 5
Week 3 (9/18): Land rent and land use.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapter 7, Alonso (1960)
Week 4 (9/25): Monocentric and polycentric cities.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapters 8 and 9, Rogers (1967)
Week 5 (10/2): Suburbanization.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapter 10, Stanback (1991).
Week 6 (10/9): Housing.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapters 14 and 15, Arnott (1987)
Week 7 (10/16): Local government.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapters 16, 17, 18, Prud'Homme (1987)
Week 8 (10/23): Public goods.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapters 19, 20, 21, Hirsch (1973)
Week 9 (10/30): Regional growth.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapter 6, Chisholm (1987), Scott and Storper (1992), Blair (1995)
Week 10 (11/6): Poverty and inequality.
Readings: O'Sullivan Chapters 12 and 13, Sawhill (1988)
Week 11 (11/13): Third world models.
Readings: Richardson and Townroe (1986), Kasarda and Crenshaw (1991)
Week 12 (11/20): Presentations.
Week 13 (12/4): Presentations.
Week 14 (12/11): Final exam.
The term paper is expected to be about 4000 words long (excluding references), and should follow the manuscript guidelines of any journal of your choice. You will also present this paper before the class--the presentation guidelines will be provided later. The paper topic will, perhaps, be your most important decision. Anything relevant to the course is welcome, as is either a theoretical or empirical approach, or a mix of the two. For instance, you may want to look at, or speculate on, the reasons why Philadelphia and Detroit are two of the most segregated cities in the US; or, you may be interested in examining the economic rationale for the proposed "metroplex" shopping center in the Plymouth Meeting area; or, you may study the local economic impacts of the location decisions of professional sports corporations; alternatively, you may try to explain how market forces have so worked out that Los Angeles, the second largest metropolitan area in the US, has no pro football team; or, you may look at the growth of the pharmaceutical industry in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, or the decision of Scott Paper to close its factory here. I expect I will be consulted on your choice of subject matter.
The mini presentation will be short (perhaps 10 to 15 minutes long) and relevant to the subject matter of the week; i.e., you will decide what you want your mini presentation to be on (say local government) and thereby will automatically be assigned the appropriate week (week 7 in this case). The presentation is meant to be complementary to the assigned material--that is, you are expected to present theoretical perspectives and/or empirical evidence that go beyond or add to the assigned material.
The final exam details will be worked out in consultation with the class.