Instructor: Robin D. Hanson, Asst. Professor, Economics (rhanson@gmu.edu, http://robinhanson.com)
Office Hours: Officially TT 10:30-12:00am. But I'm usually in at 10b Carow Hall. Call ahead (703-993-2326) if you want to be sure.
Goal of Class To become familiar with basic facts and issues in urban economics, and to be able to make an economically-coherent defense of one's opinions on the topic.

Catalog Entry:

350 Regional and Urban Economics (3:3:0) Prerequisite: ECON 306 or permission of instructor. Regional development and metropolitan growth, including locational decisions of households and firms, and problems associated with high-density urban economic activity.

Arthur O'Sullivan, Urban Economics, MacGraw-Hill Irwin, 2003, ISBN 0-07-248784-4, Sample Price $121.

• Class Participation Please contribute to class discussions.
• Quizes Three In-Class Quizes will given. Quizes and the final are open book, open notes.
• Defended Opinions Three times you will turn in a written defense of your opinions on an urban economics question.

• Quizes: Sept 20, Oct 18, Nov 15.
• Defended Opinions: Oct 20, Nov 17, Dec 8.
• Final: 1:30 - 4:15 p.m., Dec 15.

Dates	Text Ch.	Lecture Topic
30 Aug, 1 Sept	1,Appendix	Introduction & Econ Review
6,8 Sept		Welfare Analysis Review
13,15 Sept	2,3	Economies of Agglomoration
20,22 Sept	3	Cities
27,29 Sept	4,5	Firm Locations
4,6 Oct	7,8	Moncentric City
13 Oct	8,9	Real Cities	no class Tuesday
18,20 Oct	10	Zoning
25,27 Oct	10	More Zoning
1,3 Nov	11,12	Cars and Trains
8,10 Nov	13,17,18	Housing
15,17 Nov	13,17,18	More Housing
22 Nov	14,15	Urban Poverty
29 Nov, 1 Dec	19,20	Government
6,8 Dec		Review & Slack

Defended Opinion Topics

1. Should federal welfare correct for the local cost of living?
2. Which should local governments prefer to subsidize or require: wireless internet, or sidewalks?
3. Should state goverments prefer to privatize: education or landscaping/gardening?