Unit name | Cities and communities in the urban age |
---|---|
Unit code | SPOL20038 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Sweeting |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School for Policy Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Now that the world has entered ‘the urban age’, where for the first time more than half the world lives in cities, this unit examines contemporary issues facing cities and communities within them. The unit will consider contemporary global trends as they impact on urban areas, such as urbanisation, globalisation and climate change, and the capacity of cities to respond to them. More locally embedded processes and trends which are apparent in urban areas and impact on urban communities, such as gentrification, urban inequality and poverty, and policy responses to them, will also be considered. The unit will consider the potential of cities to be ‘sustainable’ and ‘resilient’, analyse how cities are led and are governed, and how citizens and communities might take part in processes of democracy and governance where they live. Underlying the unit are deeper questions related to the nature and distribution of power, and inclusion and exclusion in urban areas.
In national and international contexts, the unit aims are:
By the end of the course students will
Lectures and seminars
Policy report (1000 words) (25%)
2 hour exam (75%)
Fox, S and Goodfellow, T, (2016) Cities and Development. 2nd Ed. (London: Routledge)
Pierre, J (2011) The politics of urban governance. (Basingstoke: Palgrave)
Hambleton, R. (2015) Leading the inclusive city. (Bristol: Policy Press)
Brenner, N. and Schmid, C. (2014) ‘The urban age in question’. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Vol. 38.3, May, 731-55.
Barber, B. (2012) If mayors rules the world. Dysfunctional nations, rising cities. (Yale University Press)