Blockseminar Introduction to urban economics 8211 Key concepts trends and current debates

If Tokyo was a country, it would be the 12th largest economy in the world. In 2012 the city produced goods and services worth approximately US$1,500 billion, roughly the same amount as Australia. In the same year the economic output of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region amounted to US$465 billion, thereby matching Argentina, the world’s 25th largest economy (Brookings Institution, World Bank). Evidently, urban agglomerations have become the economic powerhouses of our times. Behind the impressive numbers of cities’ commercial performance lies a remarkable complexity of economic functions and structures, comprising a hugely diverse range of areas such as local labour markets, housing, traffic and public transport, education, crime and the quality of urban life. This block seminar aims to provide an introductory overview of the major lines of discussion within the discipline of Urban Economics, revolving around questions such as: What are the economic functions of a city? Who are the economic actors in the city and how do economic activities influence urban life? How do the private sector, municipality and civil society interact with each other? Which challenges are modern city economies facing in today’s globalized world and which possible solutions exist? The array of issues covered during the block seminar embraces the following topics: • The significance of cities as economic centers • Agglomerations, clusters and business parks • Local economic development • Formal and informal economies • Corporate urban responsibility • City marketing • Local and bottom-up approaches to urban development • Non-classical approaches to understanding (urban) economies (e.g., evolutionary economics, behavioral economics) • The role of urban economies within complex urban systems (spontaneous order, innovation, creative destruction, etc.) • City operations and municipal finances • Common goods Literature used in the course (selection): Cities in a World Economy, Saskia Sassen, 2012, 4th edition, Los Angeles: Sage The Economy of Cities, Jane Jacobs, 1970, New York: Vintage Triumph of the City, Edward Glaeser, 2012, New York: Penguin Profilschwerpunkt Urbane Systeme Universität Duisburg-Essen WS 2013/14 Walloth Christian