© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Economics 5800 – Winter 2006 Syllabus and Course Page Urban Economics Allen C. Goodman Section (001)

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Economics 5800 – Winter 2006 Office Hours: MW 1:30 – 2:45, or by appointment Office location: 2145 FAB Phone: 313/ ; Department and Course Web-site:

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Economics 5800 – Winter 2006 This course provides an introduction to the economic foundations of urban problems. We will look at issues such as land use, housing, race, poverty, education, crime, and urban economic growth. Where possible, we will use the Detroit metropolitan area as a “laboratory.” The text materials will be: Urban Economics, 4th Ed., by Arthur O’Sullivan (OS), to be purchased at the appropriate bookstore.

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Economics 5800 – Winter 2006 There will be 2 in-class mid-term exams and a final exam. The mid-term exams will be: –Thursday, February 7 – 17.5% of course grade –Tuesday, March %. The final exam, as noted on Page 19 of the Winter course schedule will be: –Thursday, April 25 from 4:30 to 6:20. It will be worth 25% of the course grade.

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Economics 5800 – Winter 2006 Other in-class assignments will make up 40% of your grade. These will include presentations, short writing assignments, including materials available on the University’s personal computing facilities and the World Wide Web. The assignments will be tailored to the progress of the class. You will be expected to use EXCEL spreadsheet programs in these assignments.

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 The Curve Absences - Attendance records will be kept. Students who miss more than 20% of classroom time will have their grades reduced by one increment (for example, from B+ to B, or B- to C+).

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 What is Urban Economics? What does urban economics do that isn’t done in other types of microeconomics? We look at space. We look at land. We look at the prices of space and land. We call these land rents.

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 What is Urban Economics? Why do cities exist? There are some scale economies. It pays for people to work close together.

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 What is Urban Economics? Problems that are particularly urban in scope. Poverty Housing Transportation Education Crime

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 What is an urbanized area? Central City Density > 1000/acre

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Urbanized Area What is an urbanized area? Central City Density > 1000/acre Urbanized Area AND Population > 50,000

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Urbanized Area What is a metropolitan area? Central City Pop > 50,000 County Urbanized Area or total Population > 100,000

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006

Source: Crary, Erickcek, Goodman, 2003

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 What we’ll see Distance from Central Place 0 Density

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 What we’ll see Distance from Central Place 0 Land Rent

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006 Black/White? Or?

© Allen C. Goodman, 2006