An economic analysis of cities and transportation is presented. Specific transportation topics covered include land use impacts, traffic congestion, pollution, and the analysis of new projects. Familiarizes students with the information needed to reorganize good analysis and prepares them to organize and interpret quantitative inquiries. Topics include multiple regression, cost-benefit analysis and discounting, decision trees, and other techniques useful for the purposes of community analysis and planning. U217 Poverty and Social Policy Provides an overview of contemporary American poverty and related social debates.
Emphasis is on discussing and evaluating urban policies aimed at reducing poverty.
Advanced Research Methods Provides in-depth training in research methods enabling students to conduct and critically evaluate research on urban and regional topics. Course focuses on advanced statistical and econometric techniques, including multi-equation systems, time series and panel data methods, and regression with limited dependent variables. Both theoretical and applied aspects of statistical approaches are covered. Policy consequences are traced to indirect and subtle incentives and disincentives. Water pricing, privatization and finance issues, markets for water transfers between regions and among competing uses, environmental and sanitation considerations, water and poverty, and planning for infrastructure investment.