Urban and Regional Policy

Instructor information

Module leader: Prof. Maria Vittoria Corazza

Course information

ECTS: 6 credits
Status: Compulsory
Semester: 3
Hours: 40/20 (lectures/workshop)

Objectives

The course key objectives are to develop the following skills:

  • Introduce the students to a range of approaches and tools for the analysis and evaluation of urban and regional policies
  • Analyse processes of policy-making in their space-time context
  • Develop the understanding of links between urban policies and economic development

Syllabus outline

  • Introduction to basic notions (concepts of politics, policy and planning, governance) and key concepts in urban and regional policy development (equity, inclusion, sustainability, accessibility)
  • Regulatory tools (from supranational to local) with a focus on transportation issues; directions from the EU and selected examples from the USA and countries across Europe (highlights and comparison)
  • Political agendas (affecting factors and recurring issues: rent, private vs public, planning vs implementing, low demand areas requirements, etc.)
  • Policy decision (actors, models, environmental constraints)
  • Policy transferability, when and how
  • Policy evaluation tools (CBA, MCA, scenario building, visioning, models, etc.); a case study (Rome)
  • Participation process
  • The relative optimum: managing land use, mobility demand, built environment, political visions, policy implementation and enforcement; a case in point: urban freight distribution.
  • Class project : "Developing a SUMP for my city: visions and directions"

Essential reading list

  • Cuthbert, A.R. (2011) Understanding cities. Routledge
  • Dente, Bruno, (2014) Understanding Policy Decisions, Berlin, Springer Verlag
  • Journal articles and other readings will be recommended during the course

Recent theses