11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

T/Th: Hudson 119

Professor Jennifer Mapes
Office: 215 Ward Hall
Office Hours: MWF 9:30-10:30 a.m.,
or by appointment
Email: jmape001 AT Plattsburgh DOT edu

GEG 307: Urban Geography and Planning

This course looks at the evolution of North American cities, their contemporary form, and prospects
for future sustainability. To understand how cities have changed, we will focus on American ideas
about what makes a “good city,” and how these cultural ideals shape urban places.

The material in this course is divided into three sections: the first examines the history of cities and
planning, the evolution and ideological shaping of the urban form. The second section of the course
examines the history and current state of urban planning, focusing on key elements in the urban
form. The third section examines prospects for a future city that is environmentally, socially, and
economically sustainable, considering the challenges faced in specific cities today.

In addition to learning about broad urban trends, this course will use this knowledge, along with
technical skills taught in monthly workshops, to conduct research in the City of Plattsburgh. The end
goal of this collaborative project will be to create an online source of spatial data for city residents
and community leaders.

Course objectives
 Describe the history of the urban form in North America, and connect physical changes to
ideological principles and municipal interventions.
 Explain the evolution of contemporary urban planning and ideologies behind elements of
success (and failure).
 Broadly describe the challenges to a sustainable city and offer examples of efforts to bridge
the divergent elements of social equity, economic viability, and environmental health.
 Learn and utilize spatial data collection, analysis, and presentation tools to better understand
the urban geography of Plattsburgh.

Required texts
City Life: Urban expectations in a new world. Witold Rybczynski. 1995
The American City: What works, what doesn’t. Alexander Garvin. 2002
Additional readings are provided below using hyperlinks (Control+Click to access).

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Course schedule

Aug. 31 Introduction: Global & national trends

Sept. 2 The urban problem, the urban solution

“Why aren't our cities like that?” City Life
“The measure of a town” City Life

Sept. 7 The American city

“In the Land of the Dollar,” and “Civic Art,” City Life

Sept. 9 History of planning

Ch. 1, “A realistic approach to city & suburban planning,” The American City
Ch. 2, “Ingredients of success,” The American City
For reference: APA timeline, Planners Network timeline (pgs 4,5)

Sept. 14 Urban renewal: ideology

“High hopes,” City Life
In class: Robert Moses in New York: The City and the World, Ric Burns, 2001

Sept. 16 Urban renewal: results

Ch. 6 “Urban redevelopment,” The American City

Sept. 21 Suburbia & the problem with zoning

“Country homes for city people,” City Life

Sept. 23 New urbanism

Ch. 15, “New towns in the country,” The American City (ONLY “Seaside” and
“Neotraditional New Towns”)
“Home from Nowhere,” James Howard Kunstler, Atlantic Monthly, 1996

Sept. 28 Field trip: Downtown Plattsburgh

“The new downtown” and “The best of both worlds,” City Life

Sept. 30 WORKSHOP 1

Oct. 5 EXAM 1

Oct. 7 Planning tools

Ch. 16, “Land use regulation,” The American City (excerpt)
Ch. 18, “Comprehensive Plan,” The American City (excerpt)

Oct. 14 Open space

Ch. 3, “Parks & playgrounds,” The American City

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Oct. 19 Commercial space
Ch. 5, “Retail shopping,” The American City
“Recession turns malls into ghost towns,” Wall Street Journal, 2009

Oct. 21 PAPER 1 DUE, WORKSHOP 2 (readings TBA)

Oct. 26 Work space

Edge Cities, Joel Garreau, 1992: Introduction & Chapter 1

Oct. 28 Housing
Ch. 9, “Reducing housing cost” The American City

Nov. 2 Transit- and pedestrian-oriented development

Ch. 7 “Planning for pedestrians,” The American City

Nov. 4 Historic preservation

Ch. 17, “Preserving the past,” The American City

Nov. 9 The regional city

“Planning’s cultural cringe,” Newgeography.com, 2010
Cascade Agenda Progress Report

Nov. 11 EXAM 2

Nov. 16 The challenge of sustainability

“Green Cities, Growing Cities, Just Cities?: Urban Planning and the Contradictions of
Sustainable Development,” Journal of the American Planning Association. S. Campbell

Nov. 18 The declining city: Detroit

Razing the city to save the city, New York Times, 2010
Detroit Arcadia: Exploring the post-American landscape, Harper’s Weekly, 2007

Nov. 23 PAPER 2 DUE, WORKSHOP 3 (readings TBD)

Nov. 30 The just city: Los Angeles

Housing and civil rights in Los Angeles, reading provided.

Dec. 2 The green city: New York City

Green Manhattan: Everywhere should be more like New York, David Owen, 2004

Dec. 7 The networked city

“The digital divide,” The Next American City
Santa-Feing of the world, Part I and Part II, Joel Garreau, 2010

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 Dec. 9 The creative city
“How the crash will reshape America,” Richard Florida, 2009
“The ruse of the creative class,”

TBA EXAM 3

Course assessment
Participation (15 percent)
Discussion will be an important part of the class meeting, so you should come prepared with
comments and questions. Discussion questions will be circulated beforehand, which should provide
ample material for you to think about. Class attendance is mandatory! If you have to miss class for
a health reason, you must present a documented excuse within a week of missing that class.

Exams (15 percent x 3 = 45 percent)

The three exams will not be comprehensive. They will include short answer and essay questions.

Class project (10 percent x 3 parts, plus one overall grade (10 percent) = 40 percent)
During the first week of class, you will vote for one of three projects: a) mapping/analyzing bicycle
route potential in Plattsburgh, b) mapping/analyzing the shift of retail locations in Plattsburgh over
the past 100 years, and c) mapping/analyzing the relationship between the city and town of
Plattsburgh. During a workshop for each section of the project, you will volunteer for/be assigned a
portion of the class project to complete. The final product will be a class website that will include
description of the collaborative project and a Google API (interactive) map.

Part I: Literature review/local history (Workshop: Sept. 30 , Due date: Oct. 21 )

Part II: Research methods/findings (Workshop: Oct. 21 , Due date: Nov. 23)
Part III: Mapping/analysis (Workshop: Nov. 23, Due date: Dec. 10 )
Final: I,II, III: Due Dec. 10

College Honor Code

It is expected that all students enrolled in this class support the letter and the spirit of the Academic
Honesty Policy as stated in the College Catalog.