URBAN ECONOMICS

Spring 2003

 

Cecilia A. Conrad

207 Carnegie, 7-2970

cac04747@pomona.edu

 

Office Hours: Wednesdays, 9:30-10:45 & 1:30-2:45 pm or by appointment

Prerequisites:  Intermediate Microeconomic Theory

Textbook: O'Sullivan, Arthur. Urban Economics. Boston, MA: Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2003.

 

Course Requirements

Assignment

Due Date

Total Points Allocated

Multimedia City Presentation

February 6, 2003

10 points

Quiz One

February 11, 2003

10 points

Quiz Two

March 6, 2003

20 points

Quiz Three

April 3, 2003

15 points

City Decision Making Assignment

April 10, 2003

10 points

Urban Economic Problem Project

 

 

Annotated Bibliography (Group Project)

March 27, 2003

5 points

Class Presentation

(Group Project)

April 22-May 6, 2003

10  points

Policy Brief, 5-10 pages (Individual Assignment)

May 8, 2003

10 points

Presentation Response Paper

May 8, 2003

5 points

Other Class Participation

 

5 points

TOTAL

 

100

 

 

 

 

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

 

I.  Politics, Markets and Cities

 

A. Why Cities?  January  21st – 23rd.

O'Sullivan,  Chapter 1-3.

Quigley, John M., "Urban Diversity and Economic Growth," Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 12, #2, Spring 1998, pp. 127-138. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0895-3309%28199821%2912%3A2%3C127%3AUDAEG%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S

Glaeser, Edward L., "Are Cities Dying?" Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol.12 (Spring 1998): 139-160. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0895-3309%28199821%2912%3A2%3C139%3AACD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O

Harrigan, James and Philippe Martin.  “Terrorism and the Resilience of Cities.” FRBNY Economic Policy Review, November 2002. http://www.newyorkfed.org/rmaghome/econ_pol/2002/1102harr.pdf

Glaeser, Edward L. and Jesse M. Shapiro. “Cities and Warfare: the Impact of Terrorism on the Urban Form,” Journal of Urban Economics 51, no. 2(March): 205-24. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0033-5533%28199502%29110%3A1%3C195%3ATACEUG%3E2.0.CO%3B2-8

 

B.  Where Do Firms Locate?  January 28-30th

O’Sullivan, Chapter 4

Siegfried, John and Andrew Zimbalist, “The Economics of Sports Facilities and Their Communities,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 14 (Summer 2000): 95-114.

 

C.  How Many Cities?  February  4th

O'Sullivan, Chapters 5.

Ades, Alberto F. and Glaeser, Edward L., "Trade and Circuses: Explaining Urban Giants," Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 110 (1995): 195-227. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0033-5533%28199502%29110%3A1%3C195%3ATACEUG%3E2.0.CO%3B2-8

National Geographic, http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0211/feature3/

 

D. Multimedia Presentations on Cities – February 6th

 

QUIZ ONE – FEBRUARY 11, 2003

 

II.  Urban Spatial Structure

 

A.  The Monocentric City Model  -- February 13-18, 2003.

O'Sullivan, Chapters 7&8

 

B.  Suburbanization – February 20-25th

O'Sullivan, Chapter 9.

LeRoy, Stephen F., and Jon Sonstelie, "Paradise Lost and Regained: Transportation, Innovation, Income, and Residential Location," Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 13 (1993): 67-89.

Mieszkowski, Peter and and Edwin S. Mills, “The Causes of Metropolitan Suburbanization,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 7 (Summer 1993): 135-147. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0895-3309%28199322%297%3A3%3C135%3ATCOMS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G

Glaeser, Edward L. and Kahn, Matthew, "Decentralized Employment and the Transformation of the American City," NBER Working Paper, W. 8117, 2001.  http://www.nber.org

 

C. Land Use Control and Zoning – February 27- March 4

O'Sullivan, Chapter 10.

 

QUIZ TWO—March 6, 2003

 

Los Angeles Tour – March 8, 2003 (Tentative)

 

III.  Urban Economic Problems

 

A. Transportation – March 11-13th

O'Sullivan, Chapters 11 & 12

 

Spring BREAK – March 17-21, 2003

 

B. Household Sorting  -- March 25-27, 2003.

O'Sullivan, Chapter 13

Glaeser, Edward et al, "Why Do the Poor Live in Cities?" NBER #7636, 2000. http://www.nber.org

Cutler, David M. Glaeser, Edward L; Vigdor, Jacob L., "The Rise and Decline of the American Ghetto," Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 107 (June 1999): 455-506. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-3808%28199906%29107%3A3%3C455%3ATRADOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K

Turner, Margery, Stephen Ross, George Galster and John Yinger, Discrimination in Metropolitan Housing Markets: National Results from Phase I of HDS2000, Executive Summary, November 7, 2002. http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=ByTopic&NavMenuID=62&template=/TaggedContent/ViewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=7982

 

C. Consequences of household Sorting – April 1, 2003

O'Sullivan, Chapter 14.

Cutler, David M., and Glaeser, Edward L., "Are Ghettoes Good or Bad?" Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 112 (August 1997): 827-72. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0033-5533%28199708%29112%3A3%3C827%3AAGGOB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D

 

QUIZ THREE – APRIL 3, 2002

 

D.  Housing – April 8-10, 2003

O’Sullivan, Chapter 17-18

 

E.  Education – April 15-17, 2003

O’Sullivan, Chapter 15

Hart Lecture by Jonathan Kozol, Thursday, April 17th at 11:00

 

IV.  Group Presentations

 

*A.  Are There Too Many Trees in Claremont? - April 22nd

*B.  What Has Been the Impact of California’s Proposition 13? – April 24th

*C.  Is Razing Public Housing Projects a Good or Bad Idea?  - April  29th

*D.  Do Enterprise Zones Improve Economic Outcomes?  - May 1st

*E.   What Are the Consequences of Urban Sprawl? – May 6th

 

 

*Class Attendance Required.