AK Geog 4180 6.0 Advanced Urban Geography

Provisional Outline for the Second Half of the Course

Provisional final grades

Reading

We continue to use the two items of course reading assigned for the first half of the course: Bunting & Filion’s Canadian Cities in Transition and Joseph Rykwert’s Seduction of Place

Assessment

This half of the course represents 50% of your total course grade. There will be two components: a final test on Aug 2 worth 20% and seminar participation, class presentation and write-up worth 30%.

Final Test

This will test your knowledge of the readings of the course. There will be a choice of essay style questions, and you will need to write one answer. The test will assume you have read: Bunting & Filion: Chapters 9, 10, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23; Rykwert: all chapters For questions click here.

Seminar Participation

Each student is required to participate in seminars, to ask questions, make comments and take a turn in a class presentation. The class presentations should be on one of the themes allocated to that particular class. Normally you would be working with one or two other students on a presentation. A write-up of the presentation is due 2 Aug. The write-up can either be done individually, or as a group submission. The write up must provide citations of sources used and a bibliography. Any reasonable system may be used.

Proposed Schedule of Classes

June 21	Introduction to the second half of the course. Some themes from Rykwert’s book
June 26	The Urban Environment Another theme in this course is the relationship between the city and natural systems. How it feeds itself, fuels itself, and disposes of its wastes. This class will try to place the Toronto region in its environmental context.
June 28	The city and the limits of reason Rykwert raises the issue of the role of rationality in shaping cities. Rationality in all its forms, including the calculating rationality of the architect or planner and the ‘economic’ rationality of market forces. He feels that reason does not hold sway, that irrationality, miscalculation and various rather human factors disrupt the urban order. We need to think about rationality, its failures and its limits in the modern city.
July 5	Urban fabric and the life which inhabits it The presentations should deal with two things: some kind of social phenomenon and the landscape which it inhabits, and which it may shape. Examples could include the effects of gentrification on landscape, the landscapes of gender & diversity (B&F Ch 22), the social forces shaping housing (B&F Ch 16) Two presentations (1) Tina Jasmine Jaclyn (2) Charlene
July 10	Contrast, conflict and contradiction in the city. These presentations should deal with the ways that cities have to accommodate different social groups and different interests which may compete and conflict with one another and are certainly contrasting. The city is a social space (B&F Ch 9), it is also a place in which the homeless and the social outcasts (B&F Ch 23) remind us that the conflict and the contradictions can be painful. Two presentations (1) Levi & Sally (2) Sandy & Cecilia
July 12	The role of rational order in cities. Rykwert has numerous examples of rational planning, of utopian dreaming and scheming, usually accompanied by analysis of the failure of rational schemes. The challenge of planning (B&F Chs 19, 20) is one area of interest, but you could look at various examples of planning, or “utopian” schemes such as Celebration, Florida (mentioned by Rykwert) and described as ‘Bedford Falls on Prozac”. Two presentations (1) Jeff, Alex, Yurji (2) Chris & Ross
July 17	The role of irrationality and miscalculation. Rykwert provides numerous examples of miscalculation and the failure of rational schemes. Examples can be culled from Bunting & Filion too. There are numerous local examples: the fiasco of the Spadina Expressway, the creation of St James Town, the creation of Regent Park, the dismal wall of second-rate skyscrapers known as Harbourfront. Two presentations (1) Pardeep, Brad, Monica
July 19	The role of history. I’d suggest looking at an area of a city in which older urban fabric is being transformed into something different. A profile of the Distillery District, for example, would allow you to raise the issue of historical legacies while discussing the planning challenges. The use of historical themes in urban tourist marketing would be another. Two presentations (1) Anastasia, Ann, Bahar (2) Jennifer, Patricia
July 24	The city and ecology 1: The relevance and nature of the environment. This class is intended to deal with the role of the natural environment on the city, and the impact of the city on the natural environment. Sherry Olson has a useful chapter on the role of energy shaping the Canadian urban form (B&F Ch 10), but you could look at such issues as urban air quality. Two presentations (1) Maria, Michael, Adrian (2) Ashlee, Hayley, Robert
July 26	The city and ecology 2: policy and the environment. This class is intended to look at the policy and planning aspects of the urban environment. You could look at the ecological restructuring of the city (B&F Ch 21), but you could pick a smaller topic such as urban transit planning. Two presentations (1) Ranjit (2) Alessandra
July 31	Cancelled: for exam questions click here
Aug 2	In-class test, hand in assignments