GY210 Half Unit
The Economics of Cities
This information is for the 2021/22 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Davide Rigo and Prof Olmo Silva
Availability
This course is compulsory on the BSc in Geography with Economics. This course is available on the BA in Geography, BSc in Economic History and Geography, BSc in Economics, BSc in Environment and Development and BSc in Environmental Policy with Economics. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.
Pre-requisites
Economics A (EC100) or Economics B (EC102). ST107 (or equivalent course in statistics) strongly recommended.
Course content
Urban economics is concerned with the spatial form of cities and the division of national economic activity into cities, both at a point in time and over time. Three fundamental questions are: (1) Why are economic activities within a country so unequally distributed across space? (2) Why do cities (and more broadly agglomeration of firms and workers) emerge and in what locations? (3) Why are economic activities within cities unequally distributed in general and between areas near the city centre and those near or in the suburbs?
The main topics covered in this course include:
- Why do cities exist and why do firms cluster?
- What determines equilibrium city size and features of the urban system?
- City growth and spatial transformation
- Diseconomies in cities: Urban location, land rents and land use patterns
- Urbanisation in developing countries
Teaching
In the Department of Geography and Environment, teaching will be delivered through a combination of classes/seminars, pre-recorded lectures, live online lectures, in-person lectures and other supplementary interactive live activities.
This course is delivered through a combination of classes and lectures across Lent Term.
This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of Lent Term.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to prepare for group discussion of some readings and hand in short essays or problem sets.
Indicative reading
- O’Sullivan. A. (8th edition) Urban Economics. Boston: Irwin- McGraw-Hill, 2012.
- Greenstone M. R. Hornbeck and E. Moretti (2010), “Identifying agglomeration economies: Evidence from winners and losers of large plant openings”, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 118, No. 3, 536-598.
- Eid, Jean & Overman, Henry G. & Puga, Diego & Turner, Matthew A. (2008), “Fat city: Questioning the relationship between urban sprawl and obesity”, Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 63, No.2, 385-404.
- Duranton G. (2008), “Viewpoint: From cities to productivity and growth in developing countries”, Canadian Journal of Economics, Vol. 41, No. 3, 689-736, Sections 1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3.3, 2.3.4, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2.
- Henderson J.V. (2010), “Cities and development”, Journal of Regional Science, Vol. 50, No. 1, 515-540.
- Henderson J.V., T. Regan and A.J. Venables (2016) “Building functional cities” Science 20 May 2016 http://urbanisation.econ.ox.ac.uk/materials/papers/105/buildingfunctionalcities.pdf
Assessment
Take-home assessment (100%, 24-hour) in the ST
Course selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Student performance results
(2018/19 - 2020/21 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| First | 44.9 |
| 2:1 | 40.7 |
| 2:2 | 11 |
| Third | 0.8 |
| Fail | 2.5 |
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2021/22 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the differing needs of students in attendance on campus and those who might be studying online. For example, this may involve changes to the mode of teaching delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: Geography & Environment
Total students 2020/21: 52
Average class size 2020/21: 14
Capped 2020/21: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Application of numeracy skills
