AP/SOSC 3717 3.00

Urban Transportation

Transportation issues are often at the forefront of urban political battles as different groups in society vie to have their mobility needs satisfied. Drawing on case studies from around the world, this course considers the links between urban transportation and the quality of everyday life, and the essential role of transportation in urban economic processes. The course explores the uneven provision of, and access to, systems of urban transportation building on the work of Graham and Marvin (2001) and what they call “splintering urbanism.” They document how, in an age of neoliberal urbanization, urban regions ‘splinter’ into highly networked spaces connected by premium transport infrastructure and other zones of poorly connected spaces. Topics in the course are intended to provide students with an introduction to a critical and interdisciplinary understanding of issues in urban transportation. They may include mobility and everyday life, transportation equity and social justice, public vs private modes of transportation, gender and mobility, urban built form and public health, active modes of transportation, transportation and the price of housing, and the transportation needs of urban economies. An off-campus session of the course is organized as a tour of a Toronto neighbourhood chosen to demonstrate the complexity of urban transportation issues.