Political Science 422: Urban Politics
Spring 2013
Instructor: Brian Adams
e-mail: badams@mail.sdsu.edu
Phone: 594-4289
Office: Adams Humanities 4114
Office Hours: Mondays 9-10, Wednesdays 11-12, Thursdays 3-5, and by appointment
Learning Outcomes
1.) Identify the structure and organization of local governments in the United States.
2.) Develop analytical skills by writing essays addressing key issues in urban politics.
3.) Identify the effects of the built environment on politics and society.
4.) Develop research skills through a research paper on comparative urban politics.
5.) Learn how to assess who holds power within local governments.
6.) Learn how to analyze urban policy issues.
Text:
Dreier, Peter, John Mollenkopf and Todd Swanstrom. Place Matters (revised edition). University
Press of Kansas, 2005.
Articles and book chapters available through the course blackboard website.
Assignments
First essay (due March 1th): 25%
Second essay (due March 22nd): 20%
Research paper (due April 26th): 25%
Final examination (May 13th): 30%
A few notes on the assignments:
 There is no curve in this class; students will be given the grade that they earn.
 Students will receive letter grades on all the assignments, which will be converted to a
100-point scale to calculate a course grade.
 To receive a passing grade, a student must pass all four assignments (in other words, an
“F” on any one of the assignments will result in a failing grade for the class).
1





All written assignments (two essays and the research paper) will be submitted
electronically to Turnitin, which is now run through blackboard. The papers will be
graded and returned electronically as well.
You will receive prompts for the essays approximately one week before they are due.
You will receive a prompt for the research paper at least 3 or 4 weeks before it is due.
There are two types of readings on blackboard. Book chapters can be downloaded
directly in a .pdf format. For journal articles, you will find a link to the article that will
take you to a library database. From that database you can download the article in a .pdf
format.
All reading assignments are required.
The final will be an in-class blue-book exam consisting of identification and essay
questions.
Course Outline
Note: the instructor reserves the right to change assignment dates and content. All changes will
be announced in class and through e-mail.
All readings other than the Dreier, Mollenkopf and Swanstrom book can be found on the
Blackboard course website. Note that I do not always assign all the pages in an article or
chapter.
Part I: the development of urban areas
Week 1 (January 23rd): Introduction
Week 2 (January 28th and 30th): Machine and reform politics
Readings:
1. Judd, Dennis R. and Todd Swanstrom. City Politics: The Political Economy of Urban
America. Pearson Longman (2008): chapters 3 and 4.
Week 3 (February 4th and 6th): The organization of local government and suburbanization
Readings:
1. Schragger, Richard. “Can Strong Mayors Empower Weak Cities? On the Power of
Local Executives in a Federal System.” Yale Law Journal 115, 9 (2006): 2542-2555.
2. Peterson, Paul E. City Limits. University of Chicago Press (1981). Pages 17-38.
3. Salucci, Lapo and Kenneth Bickers. “Exit, Voice, and Electoral Turnover.” Urban
Affairs Review 47: 2 (2011): 155-182.
2
Week 4 (February 11th and 13th): Regionalism
Readings:
1. Place Matters, pages 216-260
2. Dahl, Robert A. “The City in the Future of Democracy” American Political Science
Review 61 (1967): 953-960 and 963-967.
Week 5 (February 18th and 20th): Cities in a federal system
Readings:
1. Frug, Gerald. City Making: Building Community Without Building Walls. Princeton
Univ. Press, 1999: chapter 1.
2. Ross, Bernard H. and Myron A. Levine. Urban Politics: Power in Metropolitan
America (7th edition). Thomson Wadsworth (2006): 441-466.
Part II: Power and democracy
Week 6 (February 25th and 27th): The urban power debate
Readings:
1. Harding, Alan. “The History of Community Power.” In Jonathan S. Davies and David
L. Imbroscio, eds. Theories of Urban Politics (2nd edition). Sage (2009). Pages 27-39.
2. Mossberger, Karen. “Urban Regime Analysis.” In Jonathan S. Davies and David L.
Imbroscio, eds. Theories of Urban Politics (2nd edition). Sage (2009). Pages 40-54.
First essay due March 1st (sumbit to Turnitin anytime)
Week 7 (March 4th and 6th): Local elections
Readings:
1. Trounstine, Jessica. "Representation and Accountability in Cities." Annual Review of
Political Science 13 (2010): 407-423.
Week 8 (March 11th and 13th): Citizen participation in local politics
Readings:
1. Portney, Kent E. and Jeffrey M. Berry. “Participation and the Pursuit of Sustainability
in US Cities.” Urban Affairs Review 46, 1 (2010): 119-139.
2. Berry, Jeffrey M. “Urban Interests Groups.” In L. Sandy Maisel and Jeffrey M. Berry,
eds. American Political Parties and Interest Groups. Oxford University Press (2010).
Pages 502-515
3
Part III: Urban Public Policy
Week 9 (March 18th and 20th): The politics of land use and urban redevelopment
Readings:
1. Eisinger, Peter. “The Politics of Bread and Circuses.” Urban Affairs Review 35, 3
(2000), pp. 316-333.
2. Coates, Dennis. “Stadiums and Arenas: Economic Development or Economic
Redistribution?” Contemporary Economic Policy 25, 4 (2007): 565-577
3. Erie, Steven P., Vladimir Kogan and Scott A. MacKenzie. “Redevelopment, San Diego
Style: The Limits of Public-Private Partnerships.” Urban Affairs Review 45, 5 (2010):
644-678.
Second essay due March 22nd (submit to Turnitin anytime)
Week 10 (March 25th and 27th): Urban sprawl and transportation policy, part I
Readings:
1. Place Matters, pages 1-39, 59-76, and 98-102
Week 11 (April 8th and 10th): Urban sprawl and transportation policy, part II
Readings:
1. Place Matters, pages 103-132 and 150-151
2. Small, Kenneth A. “Urban Transportation Policy.” In Robert P. Inman, ed. Making
Cities Work. Princeton University Press (2010), pages 63-93
3. Altshuler, Alan. “Equity, Pricing and Surface Transportation Politics.” Urban Affairs
Review 46, 2 (2010): 155-179
Week 12 (April 15th and 17th): Urban design and smart growth
Readings:
1. Jacobs, Jane. 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Modern Library.
Pages 5-23 and 187-197.
2. Hatch, David. “Smart Cities.” CQ Researcher 22, 27 (2012): 645-668.
Week 13 (April 22nd and 24th): Housing
Readings:
1. Goetz, Edward G. “Where Have All the Towers Gone? The Dismantling of Public
Housing in U.S. Cities.” Journal of Urban Affairs 33, 3 (2011): 267-287.
2. Boyd, Michelle. “Defensive Development: The Role of Racial Conflict in
Gentrification.” Urban Affairs Review 43, 6 (2008): 751-776.
3. Rosin, Hanna. “American Murder Mystery.” Atlantic Monthly 302, 1 (2008): 40-54.
Research Paper due April 26th (submit to Turnitin anytime)
4
Week 14 (April 29th and May 1st): Urban crime and policing
Readings:
1. Wilson, James Q. and George L. Kelling. “Making Neighborhoods Safe.” The
Atlantic Monthly 263, 2 (1989), pp. 46-53.
2. Skogan, Wesley G. “The Promise of Community Policing.” In David Weisbund and
Anthony A. Braga (eds.). Police Innovation: Contrasting Perspectives. Cambridge
University Press, 2006: pp. 27-41.
3. CQ Researcher. 2012. “Police Misconduct.” CQ Researcher 22, 13 (April 6th, 2012):
301-324.
Week 15 (May 6th and May 8th): Urban poverty
Readings:
1. Place Matters, pages 152-169
2. Sidney, Mara S. “Poverty, Inequality, and Social Inclusion.” In Jonathan S. Davies and
David L. Imbroscio, eds. Theories of Urban Politics (2nd edition). Sage (2009). Pages
171-187.
Final Exam: Monday, May 13th, 1-3 pm
5