Urbanization and Development

This course examines the relationship between urbanization and development, paying close attention to the ways that the growth and structure of cities have and will influence the economic, social, and political prospects of their residents as well as the broader national contexts in which they are located, and vice-versa. With a focus on both theory and empirical evidence, the course’s main objective is to interrogate and deconstruct assumed ideas about relationships between urbanization and economic development, and to discuss the implications for equity, inclusion, ecological sustainability, and social as well as environmental justice. Although a majority of readings focus on Latin America, South Asia, East Asia, or other parts of the late industrializing world, where both positive and negative synergies between urban and national economic development have often set global South cities and nations on pathways different from advanced capitalist contexts, the course also uses several readings on the US and seeks to identify similarities and differences between various developmental contexts. It thus asks whether and how historical and/or contemporary patterns of urban growth are similar or different in global south and global north cities, and with what implications for urban futures? A second and related question that threads through this course is whether planners and designers in both the global North and the global South will need to operate differently if they are to secure a just and sustainable future for their residents? Given the fact that many of the current local-to-global threats of ecological destabilization resulting from anthropogenic climate change are themselves byproducts of prior patterns of national industrialization, resource extraction, and urban growth, will we need new territorialities of governance – including those that span or bypass the urban or even national scales and perhaps operate regionally – if planners and designers are to preserve and protect cities, nations, and citizens in both the immediate and long-term future?

The course is reading-intensive and geared towards graduate students from across the planning, design, and social science disciplines. It has no prerequisites.
 

The first day of classes, Tuesday, September 3rd, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. As this course meets on Monday, the first meeting of this course will be on Tuesday, September 3rd. It will meet regularly thereafter.