N.b.: all readings are to be completed before class on the date indicated.
introduction
August 25, 2020
the city and social science, why careful theory and data collection are central to our project
the history of cities
August 27, 2020
sociocultural evolution and the rise of cities and states
reading: text chapter one
September 1, 2020
the earliest cities
reading: text chapter two
September 3, 2020
medieval cities
reading:
Harari, Yuval Noah. 2015. “The Scent of Money.” Chapter Ten in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harper.
(skim) text chapter three
September 8, 2020
industrial cities, global convergence
reading:
Harari, Yuval Noah. 2015. “Imperial Visions.” Chapter Eleven in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harper.
(skim) text chapter five
theory
September 10, 2020
urban ecology
reading: text chapter six
September 12, 2020
cultural appropriation paper due by 5:00 p.m.
September 15, 2020
urban political economy
reading: text chapter seven
September 17, 2020
urban political economy
reading: Austin American-Statesman, “In Depth: Economic Mobility” (a four part series, pay particular attention to part one, “Overview, Inheriting Inequality,” and part three, “Building a Divide”
urban planning
September 22, 2020
pitfalls of planning
reading: text chapter fourteen
September 24, 2020
New Towns
reading: Scheck, Justin, Rory Jones, and Summer Said. 2019. “A Prince’s $500 Billion Desert Dream: Flying Cars, Robot Dinosaurs and a Giant Artificial Moon.” Wall Street Journal July 25.
September 29, 2020
no class meeting today, use the time to collect images for photo essay
October 1, 2020
zoning and development codes
October 3, 2020
photo essay due by 5:00 p.m.
clocks
October 6, 2020
urbanism and time discipline
reading: Ekirch, A. Roger. 2005. “The Fragility of Authority: Church and State.” Chapter Three in At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past. W. W. Norton & Company.
October 8, 2020
clocks, cities, and standardization
the car, the suburbs, and sprawl
October 13, 2020
the first cars and the good roads movement
reading: Sorin, Gretchen. 2020. “Driving While Black.” Motor Trend September:62-9.
October 15, 2020
the rise of the ‘burbs
reading: text chapter four
October 17, 2020
midterm essay due by 5:00 p.m.
October 20, 2020
the absolute triumph of the suburbs
reading: “Levittown, Building the Suburban Dream” (spend half an hour or so poking around this website)
October 22, 2020
sprawl, traffic, & the soul crushing sameness of it all
reading: Heller, Nathan. 2019, “Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake?” New Yorker July 22.
October 27, 2020
sprawl, the beloved disaster
reading: text chapter eight
community, social capital, and the urban/rural divide
October 29, 2020
neighborhoods and kinds of community
November 3, 2020
social capital, pros and cons
reading: Badger, Emily. 2019. “How the Rural-Urban Divide Became America’s Political Fault Line.” New York Times May 21.
November 5, 2020
the “coastal elite” vs. the “real America”
reading: Williamson, Kevin D. 2018. “We’ll Always Have . . . Fort Worth?” National Review December 9.
November 7, 2020
walk score assignment due by 5:00 p.m.
gentrification and the housing supply
November 10, 2020
gentrification as revitalization or displacement
reading: Betancur, John. 2011. “Gentrification and Community Fabric in Chicago.” Urban Studies 48(2):383-406.
November 12, 2020
affordable housing
reading: Cooper, Ryan and Peter Gowan. 2019. “How to Solve the Housing Problem.” Jacobin June 4.
November 17, 2020
homelessness: Austin 2020
reading: Smith, Noah. 2019. “Poverty Is a Bigger Problem Than Gentrification.” Bloomberg May 6.
November 19, 2020
gentrification and cultural conflict
reading: skim text chapters ten, eleven, and twelve
the new megacities
November 24, 2020
global population and the theory demographic transition
reading: text chapter thirteen
November 26, 2020
Thanksgiving holiday, classes do no meet
December 1, 2020
the new megacities
Reading: Krulwich, Robert. 2013. “The Big Squeeze: Can Cities Save the Earth?” National Public Radio April 8.
also review text chapter seven
December 3, 2020
slums, development, and underdeverlopment
reading: Power, Mathew. 2006. “The Magic Mountain.” Harper’s Magazine December:57-68. (You’re going into Alkek’s database here – you’ll have to log in or be on campus. Then click the relevant buttons/links to find the full article.)
December 8, 2020
final essay due by 5:00 p.m.