Aims

This module presents the study of cities from a spatial analytic perspective, drawing on theory and concepts from both urban and social geography. Major concepts in this module focus on urban development and change, the socio-demographic fabric of the city, and accessibility and spatial inequality, both at the scale of particular cities and at the scale of systems of cities.
These concepts are engaged with through GIS, spatial analytics, and visualization, with the aim of developing enlightened producers and consumers of urban research, policy, and analytics. Specifically, the module covers principles of GIS, cartography, and spatial analytics through engagement with the key urban topics identified above.

This module has three goals:
•       To develop an understanding of the concepts related to urban geography such as the internal structure of the city, urban systems, social transformation, urban form and experience.
•       To develop comfort and competency with the independent use of GIS and spatial analytics for exploring and investigating spatial processes and relationships in urban environment.
•       To provide hands-on experience of using GIS tools in urban geography and critically evaluate the advantages and limitations of GIS mapping and analysis.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module will be taught in one semester, with a combination of lectures and practicals. Lecture portion of teaching time will cover the fundamentals of GIS, spatial analysis, and cartography, as well as core concepts and topics in urban geography. Practicals offer a hands-on opportunity for students to apply the lecture material, working with real data in a GIS environment.

-       Urban Systems and settlement patterns
-       Introduction to cartography
-       Neighborhood change, displacement, and gentrification
-       Urban demography: who is where
-       Data management and manipulation in a GIS
-       Thematic mapping: how to try not to lie with maps
-       Spatial Analysis: containment, intersection, proximity, and density
-       Mental maps and perceptions of the urban environment
-       Collecting data in the field
-       Urban accessibility
-       Geodemographics

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Practicals combine lecture material, which introduce key theories, concepts and methods related to spatial analytics and urban geography, with complementary hands-on opportunities to apply methods and concepts covered in lectures.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The portfolio: Assemble the graphical and analytical output produced over the course of the practicals, accompanied by summary interpretive text of results. The portfolio assesses students’ ability to carry out basic urban analysis, interpret results, and contextualize to a larger literature or set of concepts.

The project report is based on a self-designed urban GIS project, which assesses students’ ability to independently apply concepts and skills learned from the lectures and practicals, as well as critically reflecting upon these practices of using GIS and spatial data. The essay assesses students’ achievements in executing and evaluating a GIS project and their ability in connecting these experiences with core concepts and approaches taught over the course of the module.