PAM 5250 - Neighborhoods, Housing, and Urban Policy

Fall. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Enrollment limited to: graduate students. Co-meets with PAM 3250/SOC 3250.

L. Tach.

This course considers the dynamics of housing markets and neighborhoods in American metropolitan areas and the public policies designed to regulate them. In the first part of the course we examine the demographic and economic forces at work in metropolitan neighborhoods, focusing on trends in inequality and segregation and how they have been influenced by macroeconomic trends and public policies. In the second part of the course, we examine federal and local housing policies related to subsidized housing, homeownership, and land regulation and we analyze the empirical and normative debates surrounding their effectiveness. Students will also gain experience locating and analyzing data about neighborhoods and housing policies.

Outcome 1: Students will be able to describe the origins, evolution, and contemporary challenges of low-income housing policy in the US.

Outcome 2: Students will be able to identify and analyze descriptive data related to neighborhoods and housing.

Outcome 3: Students will be able to apply course concepts to the study of neighborhoods and housing in their local surroundings.