The course in URBAN ECONOMICS aims to analyse a wide range of topics dealing with both economics and the city. This course will provide tools to understand the relationship between the space-city and economic activity (production, distribution and social conflict, efficiency, innovation). The following issues will be addressed: (1) the economic processes that support the construction of the physical city (housing, basic infrastructures, infrastructures for business activity, social facilities, etc.). (2) The factors and processes that explain why economic activity is carried out in one place and not in another; that is, the spatial or geographical behaviour of economic agents: firms, households and institutions; (3) the ways to influence these economic processes, that is, urban policies and strategies. The course is organised around the issues dealt with by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set up by the United Nations in 2015 and, specifically, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.



DESCRIPTORS

Urban space and Social Sciences. The structure of urban space. Systems of cities. Urban competitiveness. Urban Policies. Towards sustainable urban development. New systems of urban planning and management.

COMPETENCIES

CE1 To acquire a general overview of economic processes in cities

CE2 To critically analyze, using data of concrete real problems, the causes and development of urban crises and their management by public institutions

CE3 To analyze the opportunities for economic development and improvement of quality of life in cities

CE4 To evaluate the effects that urban policies can have on the quality of life and competitiveness of cities

CE5 To analyze real events about urban economic processes and to deduce the implications they may have on decisions of families and companies

LEARNING PROCESS OUTCOMES

RE1 To classify and relate the main economic principles of organization of the urban space (agglomeration, accessibility, mobility, hierarchy and networking, competitiveness)

RE2 To explain urban crises and their causes

RE3 To identify the main factors of economic competitiveness of cities

RE4 To design socio-economic development strategies in cities

RE5 To make critical judgments about the role of public institutions in city management

RE6 To apply the concept of agglomeration economies to explain a situation or event in a real city

RE7 To apply the concept of land rent theory to explain a situation or event in a real city

RT1 Ability to make reasoned judgments and make decisions on relevant issues with critical capacity, and to analyze information from different perspectives: oral, analytical and graphic reasoning.

RT2 Ability for written and oral communication, especially in the preparation of clear and coherent reports and their presentation

RT3 Ability for team work, with responsibility and respect, initiative and leadership.

RT4 Ability to search, analyze and synthesize information from different sources

THEORETICAL-PRACTICAL CONTENTS:



Topic 1. Introduction: City, State and Market. The economy and urban policy



1.1. What does Urban Economics stand for?

1.2. Economic principles of organization of urban space

1.3. International criteria (EU, OECD) for defining a typology of cities

1.4. Urbanization processes: key factors

1.5. Market and politics in the construction of the city: market failures; limits of public planning

1.6. The Urban Economy within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals -ODS- (United Nations 2030 Agenda)





Topic 2. Why do cities exist? The principle of agglomeration



2.1 The principle of agglomeration; Agglomeration Economies

2.2 Economies of scale and productivity: the manufacturing city; the commercial city

2.3 External economies: Localization economies and urbanization economies

2.4 Urban diseconomies

2.5 The optimal size of cities



Unit 3. The structure of urban space: The rent of the land. The principles of accessibility and interaction / mobility



3.1 The concept of land rent

3.2 The principle of accessibility

3.3 Land rent: organizer of the urban structure

3.4 Models of urban location

3.5 The location of economic activities in the city

3.6 The principle of mobility; some notes on transport and urban communications





Topic 4. Land and housing market



4.1 The land market: characteristics and determining factors

4.2 The housing market: characteristics and determining factors

4.3 The real estate crisis in Spain. Main impacts on Spanish cities



Topic 5. The economy of the city: Functions and factors of urban competitiveness



5.1 The concept of urban competitiveness: Competition and cooperation between cities: city networks

5.2 Factors of urban competitiveness

5.3 Integrated Strategies for Sustainable Urban Development: the methodology of the European Union

The central element is the master class, in which the topics of the course are developed. In addition to this, in the practical classes two types of activities are developed: practical tasks and discussion of reports. Finally, the students have to prepare a final paper on a topic of their choice. This work is presented in the seminars.



DISTRIBUTION OF THE TYPE OF LEARNING AND HOURS

IN-CLASS TEACHING 60 hours

         MASTER CLASSES 42h.

PRACTICAL CLASSES 9h.

SEMINARS 9h

OUT-OF-CLASS ACTIVITY 90 hours

         STUDY OF SUBJETS 25h

PREPARATION OF SEMINARS 45h

PREPARATION OF PRACTICES 20h

TOTAL HOURS 150 HOURS

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 40
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 30
  • Class Participation and Attendance (%): 30

EVALUATION CRITERIA



CONTINUING EVALUATION

1. Class Participation and Attendance (30%). A minimum of 80% attendance will be required

2. Practical exercises in the Virtual Campus (egela) (40%)

3. Final exam (30%)/Final papet (30%)

4. The student will renounce to the ordinary continuing evaluation just by not taking the final exam



IF THE STUDENT HAS BEEN RECOGNISED THE FINAL EVALUATION:

1. Final exam (100%)





COVID19 ADVICE: In case of health emergency, the exams will be replaced with alternative forms of online exams.

EXTRAORDINARY EXAM SESSION

The student may choose between:

1. Maintaining the result obtained in the continuing evaluation (1. Class Participation and Attendance (30%)and 2. Practical exercises in the Virtual Campus (egela) (40%)), taking only de final exam (30%) or

2. To take a final exam (100%)



COVID19 ADVICE: In case of health emergency, the exams will be replaced with alternative forms of online exams.

Free Online Course Materials are available at https://egela.ehu.es/

Basic bibliography

- Camagni, R. (2005): Economía Urbana, Antoni Bosch Editor.

- O’Sullivan, A. (2012): Urban Economics, McGraw-Hill International Edition.

- Polèse, M. & Rubiera Morollón (2009): Economía Regional y Urbana, Thomson Reuters.

In-depth bibliography

REFERENCES
- Armstrong, H. y Taylor, J. (2000): Regional Economics and Policy. Blackwell Publishers. Oxford. Reino Unido.
- Blume, L., & Durlauf, S. N. (eds.): (2008). The new Palgrave dictionary of economics. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Capello, R.; Nijkamp, P. (eds.) (2004): Urban Dynamics and Growth: Advances in Urban Economics. Elsvier Inc.
- Clark, G., & Moonen, T. (2013): Europe’s Cities in a Global Economy: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities. In Paper produced for the conference Europe’s Cities in a Global Economy.
- European Union (2013): Urban development in the EU: 50 projects supported by the European Regional Development Fund during the 2007-13 period. European Commission.
- Fujita, M., Krugman, P. y Venables, A. J. (2000): Economía espacial. Ariel. Madrid.
- Ganau, R., & Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2021). Does urban concentration matter for changes in country economic performance?. Urban Studies, 0042098021998927.
- Krugman, P.R. (1997) Desarrollo, geografía y teoría económica. Antoni Bosch. Barcelona.
- McCann, Philip (2001): Urban and Regional Economics. Oxford University Press.
- Red de Iniciativas Urbanas (2014): Orientaciones para la definición de Estrategias Integradas de Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible (2014-2020) (http://www.rediniciativasurbanas.es/NR/rdonlyres/FA4AE054-AB62-492A-B3D4-4F6D40C52C9A/135375/20141127_OrientEstrtgInte20142020Final.pdf).
- Vázquez Barquero, A. (2005): Las nuevas fuerzas del desarrollo. Antoni Bosch. Barcelona.

Journals

International journals on urban economics and policies
European Urban and Regional Studies
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
Journal of Urban Affairs
Journal of Urban Economics
Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies
Urban Studies

Spanish journals on urban economics and policies
Investigaciones Regionales
Perspectivas urbanas/Urban perspectives
Revista Ciudad y Territorio. Estudios Territoriales
Revista de Estudios Regionales
Urban
Boletín de la Asociación Española de Geografía
Scripta Nova

Web addresses

- Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias http://femp.femp.es
- Inforegio (Unión Europea, Política Regional y Urbana) http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_es.cfm
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística www.ine.es
- ONU-HABITAT http://es.unhabitat.org/
- Red de Ciudades Inteligentes http://www.redciudadesinteligentes.es
- Red de Iniciativas Urbanas http://www.rediniciativasurbanas.es
- Sistema de Información Urbana (Portal del Suelo y Políticas Urbanas) https://www.fomento.gob.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/_ESPECIALES/SIU/SIU2/
- URBACT (European exchange and learning programme promoting sustainable urban development) http://urbact.eu/
- Urban Audit (Eurostat. European City Statistics) http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/cities
- Urban Development Network http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/urban-development/network/
- Urban Portal http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/urban-development/portal/