Course Syllabus
Urban Economics Spring 2025 |
Streets of CPH © Angel L. Vidal
| Semester & Location: |
|
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Economics, Public Policy, Urban and Local Studies |
| Prerequisite(s): |
Intermediate microeconomics |
| Faculty Members: |
Angel L. Vidal-Alonso anvi@dis.dk & Ed Romein contact via Canvas |
| Time & Place: |
Mondays & Thursdays 14.50 - 16.10 Classroom: Studiestræde 6- Annex B - 2nd floor |
Course Description
This course looks into the economic, social and political factors of the success and failure of cities. We will look into the economic reasons of the location choices of people and companies and the ramifications it has. We will discuss the social and political perspectives on the development of today's cities. Together we will be investigating and analyze all these factors in the case of the metropolitan Copenhagen area where you and your fellow students will map out the past, present and future socio-economic development of the Copenhagen area. We will try and distill some lessons learned from the Copenhagen area and other urban areas in the world, in order to show how they can contribute to an improved economic and social development of cities in the USA and in your countries of origin.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students should have an improved understanding of:
1) The economy of a city and the analytical tools of urban economics to engage with it.
2) The role of space and location in economics.
3) The connection between economic, social and political aspects and its influence in the
development of cities.
4) The key role of public policies in sustainable development of cities and metropolitan
areas.
By the end of the course, students should have improved skills that will enable him or her to:
1) Reflect on the theoretical concepts of urban economics.
2) Place public policy related to city developments in the right context.
3) Apply critical thinking in analyzing theoretical concepts, facts, situations and policies.
4) Express him or herself clearly.
5) Engage in a meaningful discussion with consultants, policy makers and scholars of urban
economic development.
Faculty
Angel L. Vidal-Alonso
Expert on Local Economic & Social Development & Capacity Building, United Nations, 1988-2007. Former Adviser to the National Association of Local Authorities of Spain. International consultant. Law studies at the University of Madrid; Course of Democratic Development and Governance, Stanford University. External lecturer at DIS since 2009. DIS Faculty member since 2014.
Ed Romein
M.Sc. Economics (Erasmus University Rotterdam, 1999); M.A. Art History (Leiden University, 2000); M.A. Philosophy (Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2003). PhD candidate (Philosophy, Erasmus University Rotterdam). Consultant, researcher and educator since 2001. Lecturer at Netherlands School of Public Administration (2001-2007), Copenhagen Business School (2015-2021), Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen (2015-2021), University College Freiburg (2021), MAD Academy (since 2021). With DIS since 2014.
Readings
- Arthur O´Sullivan (9th Edition) “Urban Economics”
ISBN: 978-0078021787 - Additional articles are made available on DIS Canvas
Field Studies
The dates for the field studies are the following:
Wednesday 12th February from 08.30 to 12.30.00 hours
Wednesday 2nd April from 13.00 to 17.00 hours
Course approach
You will be learning individually and in teams. Your companions in the course are your fellow students and the Copenhagen/Øresund area will be your point of reference. The teachers are here to help and guide you along the way. The classes are a place where we seek to let the outside of the classroom resonate with textbook knowledge and your home environments. That does not happen by itself. It requires preparation, collaboration, consultation and investigation. It also requires both individual and teamwork.
.
Grading
Your grade will be determined as weighted averages of the following four components:
| Assignment |
Percent |
| Engagement |
30% |
|
Synopsis final project |
10% |
|
Essay assignment |
25% |
|
Final Project: City Economic & Social Development Project Outline |
35% |
Milestones – important dates & deadlines
|
Thursday 27th of February at 23.00h CET |
Deadline Synopsis proposal final project (grading element 2) |
|
Tuesday 15th of April at 23.00h CET |
Deadline Essay assignment (grading element 3) |
|
Wednesday 7th of May at 23.00h CET |
Deadline final version of the City Economic Development Project Outline (grading element 4) |
Course Policies
Academic Honesty – Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment - DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your teacher if you have questions.
Attendance – You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.
Disability and resource statement – Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the teacher of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.
Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom - Electronic devices such as laptop computers, mobile phones, tablet devices etc are NOT allowed in class. Please be sure that all cell phones are put away and are set to “off” prior to the beginning of the class or a meeting. However in some specific cases the instructor will request you to use your laptop, tablet or phone for quick/ad-hoc research on Internet. Any misuse of our trust will be reflected in your engagement grade.
Use of Artificial Intelligence in the course - (Adapted from Ethan Mollick). There is an increasing probability you have been using large Language Model AI (ChatGPT or other) or that you are using AI (ChatGPT or other) in class or outside. Some assignments and exercises might be enhanced by the use of AI, but don’t require you to use AI. Learning to use AI is an emerging skill, please check this website for some short videos.
AI is a tool, but one that you need to acknowledge using. When you intend to use AI in order to fulfill the requirements of this course please include a paragraph at the end of any assignment that uses AI explaining what you used the AI for and what prompts you used to get the results. Failure to do so is in violation of academic honesty policies.
Furthermore, be aware of the limits of ChatGPT or other AI tools:
If you provide minimum effort prompts, you will get low quality results. You will need to refine your prompts in order to get good outcomes. This will take work!
Don't trust anything it says. If it gives you a number or fact, assume it is wrong unless you either know the answer or can check in with another source. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions provided by the tool. It works best for topics you understand.
Be thoughtful about when this tool is useful. Don't use it if it isn't appropriate for the case or circumstance.
Please make sure that you clarify whether you can use AI with your other teachers and courses.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|