Introduction to Housing, Community, and Economic Development

Calendar

SES #	TOPICS	KEY DATES
Part I: Foundations Key demographic, economic, and political trends affecting urban areas; major controversies tied to equity and equitable development.
1	Introductory Class: The “just city” in context: Trends, dilemmas, scales (neighborhood, city / town, region).
2	The Just City: Equitable development concepts and cross-national comparisons.
3	Demographic shifts and neighborhood change: Segregation, migration, and aging.
4	Income, wealth, and the political economy of inequality.
5	Civic context: Engagement and political representation.
6	The nature of community in 21st century America: Networks, places, social capital.
Part II: Community-based Organizing and Development Contrasting approaches to community development: Social movement building and program and policy development, debates and complementarities.
7	History and development: Politics and program.
8	Institutional context: CDCs and other CBOs, intermediaries, government, foundations / donors, labor unions and other, private partners.
9	Governance at multiple scales (neighborhood, city, region): Issues of representation, accountability, co-production, coalitions, power.	Midterm exam due one day after Session 9
Part III: Affordable and Inclusionary Housing and Homeownership
10	Housing markets and policy (A): Supply and demand fundamentals, shifting preferences, efficiency and affordability outcomes.
11	Housing markets and policy (B): Homeownership.
12	Rental housing.
13	Housing as a market good: Gentrification and fair housing.
14	Public housing, income concentration, and mixed-income housing. Guest: Larry Vale, Ford Professor of Urban Design and Planning at MIT.	Detailed team problem statement due one day after Session 14
15	Affordable housing, smart growth, and regional land use.
16	Alternative housing models: Land trusts and more.
17	Mobility and the tensions between fair housing, affordable housing, and community development.
Part IV: Local Economic Development
18	Introduction to LED.
19	Workforce development and cooperative enterprise.
20	Job quality and upgrading. Guest: Paul Osterman, member of the Department of Urban Studies & Planning at MIT.
21	Entrepreneurship and business development. Guest: Karl Seidman, Senior Lecturer in Economic Development, MPP Harvard.
22	Fostering and upgrading manufacturing.
23	Toward the healthy city.	Individual decision memo due one day after Session 23
Part V: Wrapping Up
24	Course review.	Team presentations
25	Final team briefings.	Team presentations (cont.)