| Instructor Information | Course Information |
|---|---|
| Anthony Howell, PhD | Course Meeting Time/Place: Mondays, 6:40-8:30, 理教417 |
| Office: #322 School of Economics Bldg. | Office Hours: By Appt. |
| Email: tonyjhowell@pku.edu.cn | Course Website: Piazza Link |
Today, a majority of the world’s population lives in cities. By 2050, two-thirds of all people on the planet are projected to call urbanized areas their home. More than 90% of the global urban growth is expected to take place in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Rapid urban growth has been dubbed one of the biggest challenges by skeptics and one of the biggest opportunities by optimists. On the one hand, cities are engines of economic success and hub of innovation. The 750 biggest cities on the planet account for 57% of today’s GDP, and this share is projected to rise further. On the other hand, urban centers in the U.S. and elsewhere (e.g. Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cleveland) suffered significant job losses in the 1970s and 1980s as their manufacturing bases declined, leading to urban decline. Moreover, in less developed and developing countries, up to one-third of the urban population resides in slum conditions, driven in part, by the inflow of poor rural residents that has created hubs of urban poverty. This class provides students with some of the most recent research that focuses on cities, drawing on themes from economic geography and urban economics.
There is no required text for this course. All readings will be provided on the course website.
| Activity | Grade Contribution |
|---|---|
| Quizzes/Participation | 50% |
| Research Proposal | 5% |
| Research Report/Presentation | 45% |
Quizzes/Participation Two quizzes will be administered during the semester to ensure students are engage in lecture and the Reading. Questions will be multiple-choice and come mostly from lecture, although some will come directly from the readings not necessarily discussed in-class. Quizzes will be open-note/laptop. The goal is not necessarily to test memorization skills, but to be familiar enough with the material to easily reference answers to question, and to then test critical thinking skills. It is encouraged and expected that each student participate and contribute to course discussions. Such course involvement can lead to a boost in quiz scores.
Final project: Students will be provided a short list of interesting research topics related to the course. Students will choose one research topic and carry out the following tasks: 1. Write a short research proposal; 2. prepare a written research report; and 3. give a digital poster presentation.
Research Proposal. Maximum 1 page project proposal including the following: why the problem is important, what has been done so far in the field, and what are the expected outcomes.
Research Report/Presentation. Students will extend the proposal and convert it into a formal research report (approximately 8-10 pages per student). Students will present a digital poster using the Prezi platform.
I have created a Piazza for the course. All course resources will be posted to piazza, including the course syllabus, lecture materials, and assigned readings. The WeChat group and the Piazza forum serve as discussion forums for the class in order to facilitate interaction between students and to promote broader participation. Students are expected to conduct themselves with respect by posting comments and replies only in the context of the course. Use the Piazza group to ask general questions about the homework, group debates, and lectures. You can also paste small snippets of code (on Piazza) to clarify an idea. Students are encouraged to answer each others’ questions. Recall that your thoughtful participation in this forum accounts for part of your final grade.
Class attendance is expected and note taking encouraged. Important information may be communicated only in the lectures. We may also cover additional material (not available in the notes) during the lecture. If you miss a lecture, you should find what material was covered and if any announcement was made. Handouts for each course lecture will be posted on the course website.
Excessive tardiness or absences will negatively affect your final grade. Any late work will be subject to a 5% grade reduction for each late day. Plagiarism is not allowed in any form. To avoid distractions, please do not use your cell phones or surf the web during class.
I value students’ opinions regarding my teaching effectiveness and the content, pace and level of difficulty of the course. I will take student feedback in consideration to make this course as exciting and engaging as possible. Thus, I will ask students for feedback during the semester by giving students a short survey on my teaching effectiveness, preferred teaching methods, and pace of the class. You can also leave anonymous feedback in the form of a note in my departmental mail box.
| Week | Topic | Reading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/20 | Introduction | No Readings | |
| 2/27 | Importance of Place | 1. Chetty et al., 2016, AER, (Executive Summary Link, pg. 1-2); 2. Chetty and Henderson, 2016, NBER Working Paper, (Exuctive Summary Link, pg. 1-6) | |
| 3/6 | No class | No Readings | |
| 3/13 | Zipf’s Law and Science of Cities | 1. Chauvin et al., 2016, JUE, pg. 1-9 (Link); 2. Bettencourt et al, 2007, pg. 1-6 (Link) | |
| 3/20 | Spatial Equilibrium | 1. Chauvin et al., 2016, pg. 9-17; 2. Kemeny and Storper, 2012, JRS, pg. 85-105 (Link) | |
| 3/27 | Determinants of City Success | 1. Chauvin et al., 2016, pg. 17-26; 2. Glaeser and Resseger, 2010, JRS, pg. 221-242 (Link) | |
| 4/3 | Agglomeration and its Mechanisms | No Readings | |
| 4/10 | Review and Quiz | No Readings | |
| 4/17 | The Geography of Jobs in the US | Fallah et al., 2014, JOEG, pg. 683-720 (Link) | |
| 4/24 | Spatial Inequality | Florida et al., 2016, Reg. Stud., pp 79-92 (Link) | |
| 5/1 | No Class - Holiday | 1-Page Group Project Proprosla Due (Friday 11:59pm, 5/5) | |
| 5/8 | Cities and Crime | Bernasco et al., 2013, JOEG, pg. 119-140 (Link) | |
| 5/15 | Urban Decline and Revitalization | Papachristos et al., 2011, City & Comm., pg. 215-236 (Link) | |
| 5/22 | Review and Quiz | No Readings | |
| 5/29 | Welfare Policy, Spillovers and Migration | No Readings | |
| 6/5 | Final Presentation | Final Group Paper Due (Friday 11:59pm, 6/9) | |