Urban Economics:
an introductory course
For both graduates and undergraduates, our focus is on some core principles: agglomeration, externalities, the problem of multiple jurisdictions, the urbanization and specialization effects. We also do some comparative analysis in order to discuss why it is that urban regions in Ontario differs from their Great Lakes counterparts in the US.
Required text: Brendan O’Flaherty, City Economics (Cambridge, 2005)
Additional required readings: Texts will be posted on ANGEL
Course Outline
Week 1: Introduction and definitions
28 Jan 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapters 1 and 2
Glaeser, Edward 1998. “Are Cities Dying?” J Econ. Perspectives 12(2): 139-160.
http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0895-3309%28199821%2912%3A2%3C139%3AACD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O&origin=bc&cookieSet=1
Week 2: Movement
4 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapters 3-5
Gyourko, Joseph; Mayer, Christopher; Sinai, Todd 2006. “Superstar cities.” Wharton Real Estate Newsletter. August, 2006. http://realestate.wharton.upenn.edu/newsletter/pdf/aug06.pdf
Week 3: Externalities and Law
11 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapters 6-9
Coase, Ronald 1960. The problem of social cost. J Law and Economics 3: 1-44
Week 4: Human capital
18 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapter 10
Week 5: Race
25 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapter 11
Week 6: Race and sprawl
4 March O’Flaherty : Chapter 12
Rusk, David. The Exploding Metropolis.
Week 7: Housing
11 March O’Flaherty: Chapter 13
Week 8: Tax policy, housing, cities, suburbs
18 March O’Flaherty: Chapters 14 and 15
Week 9: Mid-term exam
25 March Global business, economic clusters and metros
Perry, David. “The politics of dependency in deindustrializing America: the case of Buffalo, New York.” In The Capitalist City. Ed. Smith, Michael Peter; and Feagin, Joe R. New York & Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1987.
Week 10: Current research: Metros as the framework
8 April Brookings Institution Metropolitan Institute, selected papers. http://www.brookings.edu/metro.aspx
Week 11: Comparative municipal finance
15 April Enid Slack. “Governing Metropolitan Areas: An International Perspective on
Single-Tier Cities.” www.utoronto.ca/mcis/imfg/Powerpoints/MunicipalDemarcationBoardPresentationJan09.pdf; Enid Slack. “A Comparison of Municipal Responsibilities and Resources.” http://www.utoronto.ca/mcis/imfg/resources.htm
Week 12: Land-use Planning: Contrasting Southern Ontario and Western New York
22 April Ontario: http://www.placestogrow.ca/images/pdfs/FPLAN-ENG-WEB-ALL.pdf
WNY: http://www.placestogrow.ca/images/pdfs/FPLAN-ENG-WEB-ALL.pdf
Week 13: Externalities: crime
29 April O’Flaherty: Chapters 16 and 17
Week 14: Externalities: climate
6 May Kahn, Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment (excerpt)
Week 15: Final exam
Additional required readings: Texts will be posted on ANGEL
Course Outline
Week 1: Introduction and definitions
28 Jan 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapters 1 and 2
Glaeser, Edward 1998. “Are Cities Dying?” J Econ. Perspectives 12(2): 139-160.
http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0895-3309%28199821%2912%3A2%3C139%3AACD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O&origin=bc&cookieSet=1
Week 2: Movement
4 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapters 3-5
Gyourko, Joseph; Mayer, Christopher; Sinai, Todd 2006. “Superstar cities.” Wharton Real Estate Newsletter. August, 2006. http://realestate.wharton.upenn.edu/newsletter/pdf/aug06.pdf
Week 3: Externalities and Law
11 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapters 6-9
Coase, Ronald 1960. The problem of social cost. J Law and Economics 3: 1-44
Week 4: Human capital
18 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapter 10
Week 5: Race
25 Feb 2010 O’Flaherty: Chapter 11
Week 6: Race and sprawl
4 March O’Flaherty : Chapter 12
Rusk, David. The Exploding Metropolis.
Week 7: Housing
11 March O’Flaherty: Chapter 13
Week 8: Tax policy, housing, cities, suburbs
18 March O’Flaherty: Chapters 14 and 15
Week 9: Mid-term exam
25 March Global business, economic clusters and metros
Perry, David. “The politics of dependency in deindustrializing America: the case of Buffalo, New York.” In The Capitalist City. Ed. Smith, Michael Peter; and Feagin, Joe R. New York & Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1987.
Week 10: Current research: Metros as the framework
8 April Brookings Institution Metropolitan Institute, selected papers. http://www.brookings.edu/metro.aspx
Week 11: Comparative municipal finance
15 April Enid Slack. “Governing Metropolitan Areas: An International Perspective on
Single-Tier Cities.” www.utoronto.ca/mcis/imfg/Powerpoints/MunicipalDemarcationBoardPresentationJan09.pdf; Enid Slack. “A Comparison of Municipal Responsibilities and Resources.” http://www.utoronto.ca/mcis/imfg/resources.htm
Week 12: Land-use Planning: Contrasting Southern Ontario and Western New York
22 April Ontario: http://www.placestogrow.ca/images/pdfs/FPLAN-ENG-WEB-ALL.pdf
WNY: http://www.placestogrow.ca/images/pdfs/FPLAN-ENG-WEB-ALL.pdf
Week 13: Externalities: crime
29 April O’Flaherty: Chapters 16 and 17
Week 14: Externalities: climate
6 May Kahn, Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment (excerpt)
Week 15: Final exam
