5 ECTS credits
144 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4014938FNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
Course subject: urban economic geography
Course description
The course consists of a critical, political-economy approach to contemporary urban transformations, in Europe and beyond. It builds on the notion of social production of space as a way to combine insights from both theories of macro-social/economic change (i.e. transition to a neoliberal configuration of capitalism) and mid-range theories shedding light on the roles of actors who actively “make” the city (i.a. urban regime theory). A specific focus is set here on restructuring of the economy as major driver of urban change. Particular attention is paid i.a. to processes of metropolitanization, dynamics of re- / dis-investment in urban neighbourhoods (gentrification, contrasted evolutions of suburban areas), and the adoption of new, entrepreneurial frameworks of urban policy-making. In an epistemological perspective, the main purpose of the course is to unpack the all-too-common representations that tend to naturalize, or de-politicize processes of urban change. Rather, cities are considered here as social and political constructs shaped by power struggles between social forces under evolving historical circumstances. The course aims at developing both a critical and empirically-grounded approach to urban socio-spatial change.
The course is divided up in 8 lectures:
1.Introduction - Cities in economic globalization: the metropolitan paradox
2.The production of urban space under capitalism
3.Neoliberalism and the city
4.New urban governance, new urban policies, and the post-political condition
5.Culture as urban regenerator?
6.Social / Spatial inequality: : class dimensions of urban changes
7.Gentrification: problem or solution?
8.Alternatives, resistances, experimentations,...
Methods:
Literature consulted:
Full list available online : http://homepages.ulb.ac.be/~mvancrie/ulb/UEG.html
Aims and objectives:
Through the classes, exercises, field observations, excursions and visits students should be able to:
Individual paper writing
The purpose of the paper is to bring students to explore in more depth, and manipulate by themselves, one of the core themes discussed in the course. It also aims at training them to conduct a literature review and to write a (short) paper following scientific standards (format and content).
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
oral exam, with 30 min. preparation time. Each student picks up a question. All questions are based on an identical format: a figure or a map presented in the course. This counts for 60% of the mark.
The remaining 40% are based on an oral discussion and questions on the paper they wrote.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Urban Studies: 4CITIES Classical track
Master of Urban Studies: Standard track
Master of Urban Studies: 4CITIES ResearchPractice track