Department of Economics & International Development, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
EC30171 Urban economics |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Honours |
| Semester: 1 |
| Assessment: CW 30%, EX 70% |
| Requisites: |
| Before taking this unit you must take EC20010 |
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Aims: The aim of the unit is to introduce key elements in modern urban economics. The course focuses on the spatial organization of economic activities and the economic forces behind urban development, with emphasis on location decisions of households and firms. Economic analysis is applied to themes in location theory, housing, economic geography, urbanization, and local public finance.
Learning Outcomes: After completing the unit students should have a clear understanding of theoretical developments in the economics of urban land use, housing markets, transportation, agglomeration economies, spatial externalities, and the role of governments in these markets. Moreover students should be able to bring urban issues into an economic framework by applying economic analysis to diagnose the nature and causes of contemporary urban problems such as urban sprawl, traffic congestion, housing affordability, and urban segregation. Finally students should also develop the capacity to assess the effects of public interventions in urban markets through tools such as land use regulation, infrastructure investment, local taxes, and housing policies. Skills: Problem solving, abstract reasoning, information synthesis, diagrammatic skills, writing skills, numeracy skills. Content: The unit covers the economics of urban problems and also examines the role of policies related to land use, housing, transportation, crime, and local taxes. Topics covered include: * Empirical Evidence on Cities * Market Forces Explaining the Emergence Cities * City Size and Urban Hierarchy * Land Rent and Urban Land Use Patterns * Urban Transportation and Traffic Congestion * Land Use Control and Zoning * The Role of Local Governments * Income and Racial Segregation, Poverty in Cities * Crime, Pollution and other Externalities * Issues in Third World Urbanization Key text: O'Sullivan, A., 2006, Urban Economics, McGraw-Hill. |