Urban Geography

Course Description

Objectives

The Urban Geography course consists of lectures focusing on theory and collective work. 

Ι. The theory lectures aim at:

• Surveying the field of Urban Geography, its scientific approaches concepts and theories with the ambition to develop a methodological framework to further theory building. 
• Critically analyzing foundational theories and analytical approaches, thus, enabling students to develop a comprehensive understanding of the patterns in the development of cities and agglomerations and how they structure the broader geographical-spatial dynamics. 

ΙΙ. The elaboration-submission of a collective work are meant to develop the students' skills in relation to study and report on:

• The different ways in which geography plays an important role in cities and their built environment
• The complex interactions between globalization, social change and the built environment
• Urban theories, socio-spatial dialectics, the socio-political development of cities and neighborhoods and the governance of urban space.

The assignment also involves student making progress presentations.

Content

• Presentation of the purpose and the procedures of the course
• The field of Urban Geography - Basic concepts and theories 
• Urbanization: theories of urbanization and historical cases
• Industrialization and urbanization
• Urbanization in Greece
• Contemporary urbanization patterns
• Urban hierarchies
• The internal structure and organization of the city
• Suburbanization
• Urban policies and politics

• The Neoliberal and Entrepreneurial city
• Cities and their CBDs as enclaves of economic and political power
• The tertiarization of the urban economy
• Urban development, housing markets and housing governance
• Housing financialization and urban development
• Urban tourism
• Urban renewal, gentrification and its new forms
• Competition between cities
• Urban segregation and housing exclusion, homelessness
• The just city and the right to housing
• Social innovation, institutional capital and urban governance
• Sustainable urban development
• Environmental justice
• Social resilience, housing and  disaster recovery of cities 

Assessment 

1. Successful written examination based on the course’s theory (50%) 

2. Group work submission (30%)

3. Presentation of work progress (20%)