Urban Economics

ECO1410 - Urban Economics
Spring 2023 Schedule
Professor Matthew Turner
Department of Economics
Brown University

Announcements:

PS3 due date postponed to March 8.

The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank is searching for a full time RA for next year. Learn more here. No endorsement is implied.

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	Solutions
#0:Introduction. Logistics. Jan 25 Course description and requirements	Required: Duranton and Puga, JEP 2020
#1: The Monocentric City Model Jan 25, Feb 1, 6, 8 No class Jan 30 Notes #1	Required: Breuckner Ch. 2 , to section 2.4	PS#1, due Feb 9.	solution
#2: Evidence for the Monocentric Model Feb 13, 15 Notes #2	Recommended: Gonzalez Navarro and Turner, JUE, 2018 Gupta et al., unpublished, 2021 Just sections 1-4. Baum-Snow, QJE, 2007	PS#2, due Feb 16.	solution
#3: Monocentric city model with housing Feb 20 -- no class Feb 22, 27 Notes #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 1.	solution
#4: Urbanization in the developed and developing world Mar 1, 6 Notes #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 Mar 8.	solution
#5: White Flight, Gentrification, and Bid-Rent Mar 8, 13 Notes #5	Required: Cutler, Glaeser, Vigdor QJE 1999 Cutler, Glaeser JPE 1997 Boustan QJE 2010.	PS#5, due Mar 22.	solution
In class practice midterm, regular classroom Mar 15			2022 midterm 2023 practice midterm
#6: Review Mar 20, 22 No class April 27, 29
Midterm redo, regular classroom April 5			midterm solutions
#7: The Rosen-Roback Model and the Quality of Life April 3, 10, 12 Notes #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 Apr 18.	solution
#8: Agglomeration Economies Apr 17, 19 Notes #8	Required: Brueckner Ch 1 Glaeser Gottleib, JEL 2009 Recommended: Autor, book chapter, 2020 Holmes, REStat, 1999 Moretti, AER, 2021	PS#8, due Apr 25.	solution
#9: Systems of cities and Zipf's law April 26, May 1 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 May 4.	solution
Exam Review May 3
#10: Sorting, local publc finance, and a simple model of heterogenous agents Aspirational 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.
#11: Traffic congestion and infrastructure Aspirational	Required: TBD Recommended: TBD
Take home final, due May 16, 5pm			Take home final 2023 2022 final