Aim of the course is to develop students' understanding to the variety of current processes shaping cities and regions around the world from the perspective of social and economic geography, and the way through which the regional authorities and the public attempt to govern these processes. Within these topics, the cross-cutting concept of punctuated co-evolution will be accentuated. The particular cases will focus their attention on urban shrinkage and associated processes in western world, developments in old industrial regions, and post-industrial transitions, regional innovation systems, urban sprawl and informal housing in the Global South developing, and to specific reflections of these processes in planning and governance (urban centre adaptability and regeneration, just sustainability, transition initiatives). Competencies (students will be able to): - explain the nature of political, social and economic processes shaping the current cities and urban regions - analyse cross-country demographic and economic datasets and indices of urban and regional growth - list and explain the manifestations of the urban shrinkage, urban sprawl and informal developments related to urban and regional governance and quality of life - critically discuss the benefits and constraints of participatory governance of urban and regional growth - describe and illustrate with detailed datasets, in various context, the rationale for and approaches to resilient cities and just sustainability Content: - differentiating current urban and regional reshaping in a global perspective - urban shrinkage, urban sprawl and urban centre regenerations - governing rapid urbanization and informal housing - emerging concepts: just sustainability, resilient cities, transition initiatives
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