Urban Economics

https://canvas.brown.edu/courses/1098127Urban Economics

ECO1410 - Urban Economics
Spring 2025 Schedule
Professor Matthew Turner
Department of Economics
Brown University

Announcements:

Schedule updated on February 26.

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 22 Course description and requirements	Required: Duranton and Puga, JEP 2020
#1: The Monocentric City Model January 22, January 27, January 29, February 3 Notes #1 Book, Chapter 1	Required: Breuckner Ch. 2 , to section 2.4	PS#1, due February 5	solution
#2: Evidence for the Monocentric Model February 5, 10, 12 Notes #2 Book, Chapter 2	Recommended: Gonzalez Navarro and Turner, JUE, 2018 Gupta et al., unpublished, 2021 Just sections 1-4 Baum-Snow, QJE, 2007	PS#2, due February 12	solution
#3: Monocentric city model with housing February 24, 26 (No class February. 17, 19) 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 3	solution
#4: Urbanization in the developed and developing world March 3, 5 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 17	solution
In class midterm, regular classroom March 10			2022 midterm 2024 midterm 2025 midterm
#5: White Flight, Gentrification, and Bid-Rent March 12, 17 Notes #5 Book, Chapter 5	Required: Cutler, Glaeser JPE 1997 Cutler, Glaeser, Vigdor QJE 1999 Boustan QJE 2010.	PS#5, due March 22	solution
#6: The Monocentric City with Heterogenous Households March 19, 31, April 2 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 7	solution
#7: The Rosen-Roback Model and the Quality of Life April 7, 9 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 15	solution
#8: Agglomeration Economies April 14, 16 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 22	solution
#9: Systems of cities and Zipf's law April 21, 23 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 28	solution
#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 9, Exam group #2			Final 2025 Take home final 2024 Take home final 2023 Final 2022