Urban Economics

ECO1410 - Urban Economics
Spring 2026 Schedule
Professor Matthew Turner
Department of Economics
Brown University

Announcements:

Under construction winter 2025-6

The following schedule describes the material to be covered during the term. The dates on which particular material will be covered and when asignments are subject to change depending on our rate of progress. Please check this schedule at least weekly for updates and changes.

Topic	Reading	Problems
#0:Introduction. Logistics. January 21 Course description and requirements	Required: Duranton and Puga, JEP 2020
#1: The Monocentric City Model January 21, January 26, January 28, February 2 Notes #1 Book, Chapter 1	Required: Breuckner Ch. 2 , to section 2.4	PS#1, due February 4
#2: Evidence for the Monocentric Model February 4, 9, 11 Notes #2 Book, Chapter 2	Recommended: Gonzalez Navarro and Turner, JUE, 2018 Gupta et al., unpublished, 2021 Just sections 1-4 Baum-Snow, QJE, 2007	PS#2, due February 11
#3: Monocentric city model with housing February 18, 23 (No class February. 16) Notes #3 Book, Chapter 3	These two readings are pretty similar. Pick the one you like best. Kraus, book chapter, 2008 Breuckner Ch. 2 and Clarke, RSA 1951	PS#3, due March 2
#4: Urbanization in the developed and developing world Feb 25, March 2 Notes #4 Book, Chapter 4	Required: Haines, 2001 Boustan et al. 2013 Henderson and Turner, JEL 2020 World Development Report, 2009, p49-72 Recommended: Alsan and Goldin 2019 Bryan, Chowdhury, Mobarak 2014 Munshi 2014	PS#4, due March 4
In class midterm, regular classroom March 9			2024 midterm 2025 midterm
#5: White Flight, Gentrification, and Bid-Rent March 4, 11 Notes #5 Book, Chapter 5	Required: Cutler, Glaeser JPE 1997 Cutler, Glaeser, Vigdor QJE 1999 Boustan QJE 2010.	PS#5, due March 18
#6: The Monocentric City with Heterogenous Households March 18, 30, April 1 Notes #6 Book, Chapter 6	Recommended: Heblich, Redding and Sturm, QJE 2020. This is hard, but it's worth taking a little time to look at. Try to read the first four sections and do your best with the model in section V.	PS#6, due April 6
#7: The Rosen-Roback Model and the Quality of Life April 6, 8 Notes #7 Book, Chapter 7	Required: Breuckner Ch. 11 Sinha et al. JUE 2021 This is harder than I'd like, but the best I can find. Just try to get through equation 7. Recommended: Roback, JPE 1982. This is hard, but it's worth taking a little time to look at.	PS#7, due April 13
#8: Agglomeration Economies April 13, 15 Notes #8	Required: Brueckner Ch 1 Glaeser Gottleib, JEL 2009 Recommended: Autor, book chapter, 2020 Holmes, REStat, 1999 Moretti, AER, 2021	PS#8, due April 20
#9: Systems of cities and Zipf's law April 20, 22 Notes #9	Required: Duranton and Puga, Urban Studies, 2000 Holmes and Lee, book chapter, 2010 Recommended: Gabaix, QJE, 1999 This is really hard. Try to get through section II.1	PS#9, due April 27
#10: Sorting, local publc finance, and a simple model of heterogenous agents Aspirirational Notes #10	Required: Black, QJE, 1999 Eid et al., JUE, 2008 Recommended: Bayer, Ferreira and Mcmillan, JPE, 2007. Try to get through section IV. Seig, Ch. 8	PS#10, not collected
Final exam 2pm, May 7, Exam group #2			Final 2025 Take home final 2024