All programmes > Course: The Political Economy of Urban Development

The Political Economy of Urban Development (B-KUL-H02P6A)

3.0 ECTS English 18.0 Second termSecond term Advanced
Kesteloot Christian (coordinator) |  Aalbers Manuel |  Kesteloot Christian
POC Geografie

Aims

The course considers some classical and recent elements in economic urban geography that explain the interrelations between firms, households and the State in the city, the external economic relations of cities at different scales, the spatial structure of the urban economy and urban economic  development. 
Students are expected to gain insight in these topics and their  interrelations
and into the historical and regional diversity of urban econopmic structures and their spatial organisation.
They are also expected to compare and assess different theoretical approaches in urban economic geography.
Finally, they must be capable to use this knowledge in order to contextualise
and analyse present-day urban problems in different settings.

Previous knowledge

- Analysis and interpretation of thematic maps and graphic presentation of data
- Knowledge and use of basic concepts of political economy
- Knowledge of economic and political changes since the 19th century in the world and use of this as a historical canvas

Content

  

Course material

Articles and literature
Syllabus
Examples and samples

Is also included in other courses

Activities

3.0 ects. The Political Economy of Urban Development (B-KUL-H02P6a)

3.0 ECTS English 18.0 Second termSecond term
Aalbers Manuel |  Kesteloot Christian
POC Geografie

Content

Lecture 1-2: Shrinking
cities: understanding the relations between employment, housing, public
infrastructure and collective consumption, population change and urban
policy
Lecture 3: Creative cities
- Critical overview of Richard Florida (contrast with David Harvey’s “The Condition of Postmodernity”)
- Explain flexible accumulation regime, geographical competition and the
entrepreneurial city => historical conditions of urban growth
- Market versus State and Networks
- Sectorial diversity of knowledge and growth
Lecture 4-5: Classical theories of urban economic growth
understand
classical economic handling of urban economy from the perspective of
the urban economy as a single economic unit, as a system within a
region and as an element in a global network and see how these
different points of view are related to postwar economic history
- Export base theory and growth pole theory
- Cities and regions (Myrdal)
- Cities and the world economy (Sassen, GaWC)
- Path dependency and learning regions
Lecture 6: The three circuits of capital and urbanisation: David Harvey on the urban economy
understand marxist economic point of view on urban change
Lecture 7: Urban land economics
understand how urban land market works and how it “regulates” urban land use.
Unravel the relations between urban land markets and urban economic
development
Lecture 8: Social and spatial employment mismatches
understand the role of spatial structures in urban economic development
Lecture 9: Ethnic entrepreneurship
Together with lecture 10: understand the other side of urban economic activities both as resistance to inequalities and exclusion and as opportunities
for alternative development
Lecture 10 : Informal urban economy

Aims

cfr. general aims

Evaluation

Evaluation : The Political Economy of Urban Development (B-KUL-H22P6a)

Explanation

•Oral: 15 minutes, 15 minutes preparation
•One broad question (15 points) asking the student to link different parts of the course, e.g.:
–    Comparing different theories
–    Linking theories with empirical facts
•One comment on a map, figure or table (3 points, no preparation)
•Two short explanations of concepts or authors (2 points, no preparation)