Geography 428: Urban Geography
“Cities in a Globalizing World”
Spring Semester 2014
Dr. Nina Martin
Office: Saunders Hall # 224
Tel: 962-3916
Email: ninam@email.unc.edu
UNC at Chapel Hill
Class Time: T & Th 9:30-10:45
Location: Saunders Hall 204
Off Hrs: T 11-12:30 & TH 12:30-2
Description
Cities throughout the world are undergoing rapid transformations as the world “globalizes.” This course
explores how urban development is shaped by (and shapes) processes of global change. Various aspects of the
global city will be studied from the perspective of urban geography. These include debates over what
constitutes a “global” city, the economy and labor markets of global cities, politics and the governance of
global cities, and urban social movements.
This course is designed for advanced undergraduates in Geography and Global Studies, and students from
related disciplines, such as Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology. There are no formal prerequisites
for this class, though familiarity with urban studies, globalization theory, urban politics, and/or economic
sociology would be an asset.
Course Aims
The course aims to give students a broad grounding in the academic literature on global cities. By the end of
the semester you should be able to do the following:
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Understand the debates on the origin and meaning of a “global”, “globalizing”, “world”, etc city
Critique the concept of a global city network
Analyze the economic and labor market transformations in global cities
Understand the idea of “globalization from below”, and the ways in which people and their everyday
lives are impacted by globalization and migration patterns
Describe and critique how urban settlement patterns are being reshaped by global trends
Evaluate the ways in which people and organizations are contesting globalization and its impacts on
cities
Course Structure: Each class may consist of a mix of lecture, discussion, small group work, and student
presentations. This class will have a heavy emphasis on discussion and critical thinking. Be thoughtfully brave
in class discussions—take risks! Your success in this class depends, in part, on your willingness to engage with
the materials and to share your ideas with the class.
Expectations: By registering for this class you are agreeing to meet the requirements outlined in this syllabus.
Think of the syllabus as a contract!
There is one required text for this class: The Just City, by Susan Fainstein, published by Cornell University
Press in 2010. All other readings are posted on Sakai, under “Resources”.
Each class has required readings. You must have read the material before coming to class. Having “read the
material,” however, is not as simple as it sounds. For each assigned reading, you should take notes, try to find
the strengths and weaknesses in the work, think of questions that the author has not addressed, and come ready
to discuss the reading.
Geography 428
Page 1
Graded Elements
Requirement
Attendance and participation
Assignment 1
Midterm
Presentation on readings
Final Exam
Paper & Presentation
Percentage of grade
15%
5%
20%
10%
20%
30%
Date
Semester long
Jan 21st
March 4th in class
Semester long—see asterisks
(Sign-up sheet to be handed out in
class on 1/21)
Fri, May 2nd at 8am in Saunders 204
April 17th in class
Attendance & Participation: Attendance for this class is mandatory and I will take attendance at each class and
make note of who participates in discussions. If you miss classes without an acceptable excuse (e.g. serious
illness, family emergency, etc.) your final grade in the course will be affected. I reserve the right to give
surprise quizzes if I feel that students are not doing the reading, participating, or attending class. Do not arrive
late for class.
Late Assignments: You must have a documented medical condition or family crisis in order to hand in an
assignment late without penalty. Otherwise, you will lose 10% of the value of the assignment for each day an
assignment is late. Please contact me as soon as possible if, for any reason, you cannot hand in an assignment
on time.
Laptop Policy: I prefer no laptops in class as they contain so many temptations to engage in non-class related
activities. If I find a student using a laptop for anything other than taking notes, I shall ban them from the
classroom.
Honor Code: This class follows that UNC honor code. As the Department of Geography’s liaison to the
Honor Court, I take the honor code seriously. Please familiarize yourself with it: honor.unc.edu.
Course Schedule
Date
Topic
Reading
TOPIC 1: What are Challenges and Promises of Urbanization in an Era of Globalization?
1/9
Course Intro
Ron Martin, 2004, “Geography: Making
a Difference in a Globalizing World”
Stuart Hall, 2006, “Cosmopolitan
Promises, Multicultural Realities” in
Divided Cities.
1/14
No class held. Instead watch film, Requiem for
Detroit,
available
at:
http://documentaryheaven.com/requiem-for-detroit/
1/16
No class held, instead complete Assignment 1
1/21
Assignment 1 due in class
John Friedmann. 1986. “The World City
The global city hypothesis
Hypothesis.”
1/23
Sassen: What is the global city really about? Saskia Sassen, 2001, The Global City 2nd
Capital?*
edition, pages 3-21
1/28
Janet Abu-Lughod: What is a global city really Janet L. Abu-Lughod, 1999, America’s
about? People?*
Global Cities: New York, Chicago, and
Los Angeles, pages 1-16
Not a city, but a network?*
Beaverstock,
Smith
and
Taylor.
Geography 428
Page 2
1/30
World-City Networks Presentations
Economies of Global Cities: Power and Polarization
2/4
Neoliberal Urbanism I*
“World-city
Network:
A
New
Metageography?”
Annals
of
the
Association of American Geographers
None
-Rossi & Vanolo, Urban Political
Geographies, 72-81
-David Harvey, 2005. Intro and Ch 1
from, A Brief History of Neoliberalism,
Oxford University Press.
2/6
Neoliberal Urbanism II*
-Rossi & Vanolo, Urban Political
Geographies, 80-102
2/11
Do cities have power in the global marketplace?*
H.V. Savitch and Paul Kantor, 2003,
“Urban Strategies for a Global Era” in
American Behavioral Scientist, 46
--Case
studies
on
cities
and
power/economic growth posted to Sakai
2/13
Who lives and work in global cities? The rich? The --Simone Buechler. 2006. Sao Paulo:
poor?*
Outsourcing and Downgrading of Labor
in a Globalizing City. From The Global
Cities Reader, edited by Neil Brenner
and Roger Keil.
--David Ley. 2004. Transnational Spaces
and Everyday Lives. Transactions of the
Institute of British Geographers, 29
(151-164).
Global City Image and the Politics of Representation
2/18
Politics of representation
--Rossi & Vanolo, Urban Political
Geographies, 26-30 & 38-40
2/20
Mega Projects and the landscape of representation*
--Ute Lehrer. “Willing the Global City:
Berlin’s
Cultural
Strategies
of
Inter-urban Competition After 1989”
--Sharon Zukin. “The City as a
Landscape of Power”
R&V 40-41
2/25
Gentrification*
Loretta Lees. 2008. Gentrification and
Social Mixing. Urban Studies. 45 (12):
2449-2470.
2/27
Creative Class*
-Richard Florida, 2002, excerpts from
The Rise of the Creative Class
-Rossi &Vanolo 51-59
--Deborah Leslie and JP Catungal. 2012.
Social Justice and the Creative City.
Geography Compass. 6/3, 111-122.
3/4
Midterm
3/6
Global City in Film and Fiction
Readings TBA
3/11
Spring Break!
&3/13
Evaluating city building: what is just? how are just cities constructed?
3/18
Theories of Justice*
-Fainstein, Just City, Chapter 2
Geography 428
Page 3
3/20
3/25
3/27
4/1
New York*
London*
Amsterdam*
Right to the City & Urban Social Movements*
Case Study: South Central Los Angeles Farmers
Film: The Garden
4/3
Film: The Garden
4/8
4/10
4/15
The Garden
Association of American Geographers Conference
Justice Movements, LA bus riders union*
Final papers, class review and exam
4/17
***Paper due***
Group presentations
4/22
Group presentations
4/24
Final class: Class summary and wrap-up
Final exam: Fri, May 2nd at 8am in Saunders 204
Geography 428
Fainstein, Just City, Chapter 3
Fainstein, Just City, Chapter 4
Fainstein, Just City, Chapter 5
--Fainstein, Just City, Chapter 6
--David Harvey, “The Right to the City”,
International Journal of Urban and
Regional Research, 2003.
-Rossi & Vanolo, Urban Political
Geographies, 144-147
--Right
to
the
City
Alliance:
http://righttothecity.org/
Irazabal and Punja, 2009, “Cultivating
Just Planning and Legal Institutions”,
Journal of Urban Affairs, 2009, 31(1).
Homework discussion questions
No class, work on final paper
Joe Grengs, 2002, “Community-based
Planning as a Source of Social Change:
The Transit Equity Movement of Los
Angeles’ Bus Riders Union”, JAPA,
68(2).
Read classmates’ papers posted to sakai
Read classmates’ papers posted to sakai
Rossi &Vanolo, 179-181
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