Love School of Business, Elon University

Spring 2004

 

Course Syllabus

ECO440, Urban Economics and Planning

 

 

 

Instructor:  Thomas K. Tiemann

Office: Long 209C

Phone: office: 336.278.5957, home:919.969.8320

email:  tiemann@elon.edu

 

Office hours:

Monday, 10:30 – 11:30 am

Wednesday, 9:00 – 11:30 am

Thursday, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

I am on campus most days from about 8:30 am until at least 4:00 pm.  If I am in my office, you are welcome to ask for help.  You can call or email ahead, to see if I am around.

 

Texts: you will need to purchase:

O’Sullivan, Arthur, Urban Economics, 5th ed., New York: McGraw Hill Irwin, 2003.

 

You will also receive a copy of: Florida, Richard, The Rise of the Creative Class, New York: Basic Books, 2002.  ppb.

 

Course description:

 

A study of the development of cities and how public policy has and can affect their form health.  Land values, urban problems, urban transportation, zoning and planning and local government finance will be covered.

 

Course goals:

 

·        Learning about the economics of cities and urban places

·        Understanding contemporary planning and zoning policy

·        Practicing economists’ skills: interpretation of statistical results, applying theoretical models, reading difficult material

·        Reflecting on how Americans live and use space

·        Observation of economic phenomena in urban places

 

 

 

 

 

Course info:  Here are some items to note.  These will be explained further during the semester:

·        We will probably go to Chicago for the day on Wednesday, April 28.  Most of the cost of this trip will be paid by Elon.  You will each be expected to pay $25 toward the airfare and cover your expenses for the day in Chicago, including a day pass on public transportation ($5), and meals.  If we go, this is required. 

·        You will have a major paper due toward the end of the semester, and have to make a presentation to the class of your findings.  These papers should be empirical (analyze data).  Elon has a lot of new census data that should be interesting.

·        Your will be divided into groups, probably of three.  Each group will be expected to take some time and visit a nearby city—Greensboro, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Durham, Charlotte, and report to the class about how that city fits the models we have been studying on April 21.

·        There are a number of economics journal articles in the reading.  Some of these are available online on campus, some are not and have been put on reserve at Belk Library.

 

Grading:

 

·        Class participation  20%

·        Mid term exam  20%

·        Group report on a nearby city  10%

·        Term paper with oral presentation 25%

·        Final Exam, including Chicago questions  25%

 

Reading outline, with journal article assignments. 

 

Feb. 5.  Introduction and definitions.  O’S, ch.1

Feb. 9.  Why cities?  O’S, ch. 2. also read Glaeser,  “Learning in Cities,” JUrbanEcon, 1999, on reserve.

Feb. 11.  What size cities?  O’S, ch. 3, also read Feldman & Audretsch, “Innovation in Cities,” EurEconRev, 1999, on reserve.

Feb. 16.  Location of Firms.  O’S, ch. 4. also read Ellison and Glaeser, “The Geographic Concentration of Industry,” AmEconRev, 89:2, May 1999 available from JStor.

Feb. 18. Central Place Theory. O’S, ch. 5.

Feb. 23. Urban Growth.  O’S, ch. 6. 

Feb. 25. Land Rent. O’S, ch. 7

Mar. 1.  Land Use.  O’S, ch. 8. also read, Wheaton, “Income and Urban Residence,” AmEconRev, 67:4, Sept. 1977, available from JStor.

Mar. 3.  More on Land Use. O’S., ch. 9. also read Mieszkowski and Mills, “The Causes of Metropolitan Suburbanization,” JourEconPers, 7:3, Summer 1993.

Mar. 8. Zoning. O’S, ch. 10.

Mar. 10. Mid term Exam. 

Mar. 15. Autos and Highways. O’S, ch. 11

Mar. 17. Mass Transit. O’S, ch. 12

Spring Break

Mar. 29. The Creative Age. Florida, pp. 1 – 84.

Mar. 31. Creative Work. Florida, pp. 85 – 164.

Apr. 5.  Life and Leisure. Florida, pp. 165 – 214.

Apr. 7.  Creative Community.  Florida, pp. 215 – 326.

Apr. 12. Who lives where? O’S, ch. 13. also read Brueckner, Thisse and Zenou, “Why is central Paris rich and central Detroit poor? EurEconRev, 43, 1999, on reserve.

Apr. 14. Housing. O’S, ch. 17.

Apr. 19. Housing Policy, O’S, ch. 18.

Apr. 21. City Reports.  Oral reports from groups.

Apr. 26. Prepare for Chicago trip.

Apr. 28. Chicago trip.

May 3.  Paper presentations.

May 5. Paper presentations.

May 10.  Make up and Review.

May 15.  Final Exam.  11:30 am.