Concordia University

Department of Geography, Planning and Environment

URBS 230: URBAN DEVELOPMENT

2008/9 Winter Semester; Tuesday and Thursday 11:45-13:00; H 535

Dr. Craig Townsend

Office: H 1255-27, Phone: 514-848-2424 ext. 5191, Email townsend@alcor.concordia.ca
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 14:00-15:30, or by appointment

Description

This course introduces the study of urban growth and change. The relationships between
socio-cultural, economic, and physical aspects of urban development are considered at
the neighbourhood, city, and regional scales. The course takes a global perspective to
examine urban areas in wealthy, highly-urbanized countries like Canada as well as in
industrializing countries undergoing rural to urban transition. Because this is a massive
subject which crosses disciplinary boundaries, the course is divided under three themes.
The first looks at the main types of cities found throughout history; it is concerned with
general urban development outcomes and associated societal characteristics. The second
examines urban development processes in contemporary industrial and post-industrial
cities. The third surveys theoretical interpretations of contemporary urban development
processes through the lens of different disciplines, theories, and debates.

Electronic Materials and Assignments

This course outline and three in-class tests are the only paper materials that you will
receive from the course instructor: all other course materials, including assignment sheets,
will be made available electronically on Moodle. It is the responsibility of each student to
consult Moodle regularly.

Course Textbook

Bridge, G. & Watson, S. (Eds.) 2002. The Blackwell City Reader. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishing.

The course textbook is considered mandatory and is available from the Concordia
University Bookstore. A copy will be placed on one hour loan from the GPE Reading
Room (H 1254).

Student Assessment

15% Pop quizzes (two)

20% Mid-term exam (February 19)
30% Term essay (March 31)
35% Final exam (date during exam period April 17-May 2; to be scheduled by
Concordia University)

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Plagiarism

Copying others’ work without adequate acknowledgement is considered plagiarism.

Cases of plagiarism or cheating on exams will be dealt in accordance with Concordia
University’s Academic Code of Conduct. Students are responsible for ensuring that they
are not plagiarizing. For more information, see:
http://provost.concordia.ca/academicintegrity/code/.

Grades

The following grading scale will be used:

A+ 90-100% A 85-89% A- 80-84% (Outstanding)
B+ 77-79% B 73-76% B- 70-72% (Very Good)
C+ 67-69% C 63-66% C- 60-62% (Satisfactory)
D+ 57-59% D 53-56% D- 50-52% (Marginal Pass)
F/FNS <50% (Fail/ Fail No Supplemental)

The term essay which is due March 31 will be penalized at the rate of 5% of the
maximum value of the assignment for every day late. Weekends count as 1.5 days. A
doctor’s note stating that you were ill immediately prior to the assignment will be
accepted as an excuse. The assignments are due by 5:00 pm on March 31. They may be
handed in immediately before or after class on March 31, or after that time in Craig
Townsend’s mailbox.

COURSE SCHEDULE Readings

Cities in History

Week 1 (Jan 6, 8): Course Introduction Bridge & Watson (2002), xiii-
Pre-Industrial Cities xiv; 2-10
Lynch (1960), 30-38

Week 2 (Jan 13, 15): Industrial Cities Dickens (1853), 76-79

Scott (1988), 135-145
Burgess (1925), 244-250

Week 3 (Jan 20, 22): Colonial Cities Boyer (1983), 39-45

Tripp (1992), 229-232
King (1990), 524-532

Week 4 (Jan 27, 29): Post-Industrial Cities Cho (1997), 147-158

Soja (1997), 188-196
Zukin (1991), 197-206

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Urban Development Processes

Week 5 (Feb 3, 5): Governance and Politics Harvey (1978), 116-123

Davis (1990), 323-330
Logan and Molotoch (1987),
464-473

Week 6 (Feb 10, 12): Housing Wilson (1992) 261-267

Rahman (2001), 270-277
Smith (1996), 279-288

Week 7 (Feb 17, 19): Mid-Term Exam, Feb 19

Week 8 (Feb 24, 26): Reading Week – No Classes

Week 9 (Mar 3, 5): Transportation Cronon (1991), 171-182

Mitchell (1995), 52-59
Le Corbusier (1929), 20-29

Week 10 (Mar 10, 12): Public Space Low (1999), 357-366

Lefebvre (1968), 367-374
Foucault (1977), 375-382

Interpreting Cities

Week 11 (Mar 17, 19): Economics and Political Economy Bridge and Watson (2002),
107-115
Harvey (1989), 456-462
Castells (1997), 123-134

Week 12 (Mar 24, 26): The Demise of Modernism Healey (1997), 490-500
Beauregard (1989), 502-510
Holston (1989), 513-522

Week 13 (Mar 31, Apr 2): Sustainability and Cities Jacobs (1961), 351-356
Badshah and Perlman (1996),
549-558

Week 14 (Apr 7, 9): Cities in the Future Sassen (1998), 161-170

Course Summary Sennett (1974), 342-350
Jacobs (1996), 542-548

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