This course is an introduction to the relevant theories, models, and approaches that explain the function and structure of urban areas. The course covers positive behavioral theories regarding the internal spatial arrangement and functioning of cities and characteristics of cities at a macro level and how they interact with each other (i.e., how they combine to produce systems of cities). Subtopics include factors influencing urban spatial structure over time, models of urban form, theories of land use and land rent, and issues related to the spatial expression of economic, social and political forces in urban areas. This course does not examine normative theories of urban form and development, and therefore leaves the treatment of specific urban planning movements such as Garden City, Modernism, New Urbanism, etc., to other courses, except insofar as these movements have had significant impact on urban form.
This course will require a rudimentary but working knowledge of GIS for the completion of one or more assignments. Specifically, students should be able to import census data into a GIS database, export data into Excel or SPSS, compute distances between points, and produce maps incorporating census tract attributes. The course will also require rudimentary statistical analysis in SPSS, and a fair amount of database manipulation and calculations in Excel.