Course Description:

This course introduces students to economic analysis of cities. The course begins with basic location theory; that is, it asks why some spatial areas develop greater population than others, and where these areas of high density are most likely to occur. After this basic introduction, we develop models to analyze the urban land market and the government's tools to control growth and land use. The remainder of the course deals with policy issues of poverty and affordable housing, transportation, inner city crime, and education. Topics addressed include sequential rationality, the prisoner's dilemma, credible commitment, reputation and signaling, the role of fairness and revenge in strategy, brinkmanship, as well voting and bargaining. The emphasis of the course material will be on applications, rather than on formal theory, and illustrations will be synthesized from films, as well as from examples in economics, business, and everyday life.

Any student interested in urban problems will find this course useful.

Prerequisite: Econ 100