URBS 310: Growth and Development of Cities

Spring 2002

Sukumar Ganapati

Email:

Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10.00 a.m. – 10.30 a.m.

Telephone: (818) 677-7246 (Office)

Class Schedule:

Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday.Time: 9.00 a.m. – 9.50 a.m.

Course Objective (as indicated in CSUN brochure):

The course’s objective is to examine the forces contributing to the form, development, and structure of cities, with an emphasis on urban areas of the United States.

Course Outline:

This course is about making sense of the North American City. I have organized the course around three themes: the “hard,” the “soft,” and the “problem” city. The hard city is at the macro-level and focuses on broad economic, social, and political factors in the growth and development of American cities. Here, we will examine the evolution of urban geography, schools of urbanization theories and their applicability in North American context. The soft city is at the micro level--it is more idiosyncratic and focuses on individual perceptions of city's artifacts. Here, we will discuss how individual experiences differ based on particular positions (of age, sex, race, occupation, physical and mental health, and so on). Urban design, public space, and sense of community are also stressed in this theme. The problem city deals with issues facing the city at both macro and micro-levels. We will deal with problems that are of current political interest in American cities. Issues of current interest included in our discussion are: sprawl and environment; transportation and housing; poverty and inner city; and effects of globalization.

Since we live in Los Angeles, one of the most remarkable cities of the world, we will use it as a laboratory in exploring the themes. Each theme is likely to take four weeks. At the end of each theme, we shall have an exercise relating to it. The exercise will be in the form of a class test, field assignment, or a paper. The classroom sessions are intended as dialogues, hence be prepared to speak!

Most instructions and announcements will be available through my web page indicated above. You may find it useful to “surf” the site periodically for clarifications.

Course Readings:

There is no text book for the course. Reading materials have been compiled into a reader that will be made available to you. The reading material is optimal by most standards (just one per week); hence, I expect that you read beforehand.

The READER will be available at NORTHRIDGE COPY CENTER located in the shopping complex at the NE intersection of NORDHOFF and RESEDA. The address is: Northridge Copy Ctr, 9130 Reseda Blvd # B, Northridge, CA 91324-3043; Phone: (818)775-0255.

Course Requirement:

First Test:25 points (on 4 March)

Second Test:10 points (on 5 April)

Project:15 points (8 April to 12 April)

Final Paper:15 points (due on Finals Day, May 22)

Third Test:15 points (on 17 May)

Article Reviews:10 points (two reviews, each due on 15 Mar, 22 Apr)

Class attendance and participation:10 points

There will be NO EXTRA CREDITS.

In class tests

First class test will consist of three parts: multiple choice questions, short question answers, and an essay question. Second and third class tests will be comprised only of multiple choice questions and short question answers. Duration of both tests will be 50 mins.

Project

The field assignment will be due at the conclusion of “soft” city theme. The aim of this assignment is to sensitize you to such aspects of the city that you may have paid little attention before. Take a 20 minutes walk (around 2 miles, depending on your speed) around a part of Los Angeles that you desire. Observe events, built forms, people, and anything curious that happens along your path. You may have to walk at different times of the day to appreciate the details. Draw a map of your walking route. Take pictures if required. Write about 3 pages about your experiences; you will also be required to make a presentation in the classroom.

Final Paper

Choose a topic related to issues discussed in the class and write about the topic in the context of a particular city. I will give you a list of plausible issues you may want to write about. I can also assist you in making your topics more focused and manageable. Write about 6 pages.

Quizzes

I will conduct two quizzes during the semester. The date of each quiz will be announced one class before the day it will be administered (I will also post the date on my website before).

Article Reviews

Choose a full length article from an acclaimed newspaper (e.g. LA Times) or magazine (e.g. National Geographic) (do not use articles from websites, unless they belong to reputed newspapers or journals). The article should broadly relate to the class’s concern. Choosing the article, by itself, is a major task. Do not choose a short news-piece or a piece from “Letters to the Editor.” Make a critical review of the article. For op-ed pieces, structure the review as follows: first, you summarize major points of the article; second, you highlight the strengths and weaknesses of author’s claims; third, you offer your insights on issues addressed by the author. For reports, news pieces and other articles, do the following: first, summarize the major points of the article; second, you highlight the significance of the issues/ problems/ solutions; third, offer your insights on the issues. The review should not be longer than 3 pages. Two such reviews are due during the semester.

Sukumar G., Urban Studies and Planning Program, California State University, Northridge 1 of 5

READINGS

Week / Dates / Reading Assignment
Wk. 1 / 28-Jan, 30-Jan, 1-Feb / Introduction / H
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Wk. 2 / 4-Feb, 6-Feb, 8-Feb / TOPIC: HISTORICAL GROWTH OF AMERICAN CITIES
Yeates, Maurice. 1998. “Waves of Urban Development: The Evolution of the United States Urban System,” in The North American City. New York: Longman.
Wk. 3 / 11-Feb, 13-Feb, 15-Feb / TOPIC: RACE AND ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Macionis, John J. and Vincent N. Parrilo. 1998. "Race, Ethnicity, and Gender: Urban Diversity," in Cities and Urban Life, pp. 239-265. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Wk. 4 / 18-Feb, 20-Feb, 22-Feb / TOPIC: THEORIZING AMERICAN CITIES
Macionis, John J. and Vincent N. Parrilo. 2001. "Geography and Ecology: Making Sense of Space," in Cities and Urban Life, pp. 193-217. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Wk. 5 / 25-Feb, 27-Feb, 1-Mar / TOPIC: ECONOMIC GROWTH OF CITIES
Jacobs, Jane. 1969. “How Cities Start Growing,” in The Economy of Cities. New York: Random House.
4 Mar / FIRST TEST
Wk. 6 / 4-Mar, 6-Mar, 8-Mar / TOPIC: THE THIRD PLACE
Oldenburg, Ray. 1999. “The Character of Third Places,” in The Great Good Place, pp. 20-42. New York: Marlowe and Company (2nd edition). / S
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Wk. 7 / 11-Mar, 13-Mar, 15-Mar / TOPIC: CITY PEOPLE AND ACTIVITIES
William H. Whyte. 1988. “Street People” in City: Rediscovering the Center, pp. 239-265. Anchor Books, Doubleday.
Wk. 8 / 18-Mar, 20-Mar, 22-Mar / TOPIC: THE COGNITIVE CITY
Lynch, Kevin. 1960. "The City Image and Its Elements," in The Image of the City, pp. 46-90. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Wk. 9 / 25-Mar, 27-Mar, 29-Mar / SPRING RECESS
Week / Dates / Reading Assignment
Wk. 10 / 1-Apr, 3-Apr, 5-Apr / TOPIC: WHITHER LOS ANGELES
Scott, Allen and Edward Soja. 1998. "Introduction to Los Angeles: The City and the Region," in Allen Scott and Edward Soja (eds.), The City, pp. 1-21. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
5 Apr / SECOND TEST
Wk. 11 / 8-Apr, 10-Apr, 12-Apr / Field Assignment Presentations
Wk. 12 / 15-Apr, 17-Apr, 19-Apr / TOPIC: URBAN SPRAWL
Macionis, John J. and Vincent N. Parrilo. 2001. "Cities and Suburbs of the Twenty-first Century," in Cities and Urban Life, pp. 105-135. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. / P
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Wk. 13 / 22-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr / TOPIC: SPRAWL (CONTINUED)
EFFECT OF SPRAWL ON ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING
Wk. 14 / 29-Apr, 1-May, 3-May / TOPIC: POVERTY
Wilson, William J. 1996. “The Truly Disadvantaged: The Hidden Agenda,” in Fainstein and Campbell (eds.), Readings in Urban Theory. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers.
Wk. 15 / 6-May, 8-May, 10-May / TOPIC: GLOBALIZATION
Sassen, Saskia. 1996. “Place and Production in the Global Economy,” in LeGates and Stout (eds.), The City Reader. London and New York: Routledge.
13-May, 15-May, 17-May / Review Week
THIRD TEST ON 17 MAY

Sprawl based on Fannie Mae

Institute for Research on Poverty

Sukumar G., Urban Studies and Planning Program, California State University, Northridge 1 of 5