ECON 0275
Urban Economics
Urban Economics
If economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources, then urban economics is the study of one scarce resource in particular: space. This course will introduce students to new ways of thinking about the causes and consequences of the locational decisions made by firms and households. We will explore how and why cities form, grow and decline, and how they occupy horizontal and vertical spaces. Along the way we will use the tools of economics to discuss a variety of urban issues such as sprawl, transportation, big box stores and malls, the housing bubble, racial segregation, and neighborhood effects. (ECON 0155) 3 hrs. lect.
If economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources, then urban economics is the study of one scarce resource in particular: space. This course will introduce students to new ways of thinking about the causes and consequences of the locational decisions made by firms and households. We will explore how and why cities form, grow and decline, and how they occupy horizontal and vertical spaces. Along the way we will use the tools of economics to discuss a variety of urban issues such as sprawl, transportation, big box stores and malls, the housing bubble, racial segregation, and neighborhood effects. (ECON 0155) 3 hrs. lect.