Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A comparative analysis of regional metropolitan governance in Canada and selected other jurisdictions (such as the USA, UK, etc.). The course involves an examination of major policy dilemmas in urban development, and of the local, regional and senior intergovernmental relations within which much of the public policy making in metropolitan settings takes place.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course is intended to allow students to critically evaluate the varied nature and development of metropolitan governing. It does so in the form of  readings/cases and research papers/submissions, including discussion of a potential Royal Commission on Metropolitan Governance in the ‘Vancouver’ Region. It starts by focusing on differing city-regional governing forms and responsibilities, both theoretically and in North America, the EU, Asia,rtc; the initial emphasis is on the political processes involved in the governing of major urban regions, especially on intergovernmental institutions and multilevel governance for territories which cover substantial portions of relevant metropolitan areas – in Canadian settings such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver; in the USA – in metropolitan regions such as Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Francisco, Louisville and  New Orleans, in the EU, like Greater London, England, in Asia, eg  Korea,and in Jerusalem/Tel Aviv, Israel. The course also provides opportunities to interact with political/bureaucratic actors, authors and local/comparative experts – from Canada, USA,  the EU, Asia, etc. The intention is to apply lessons from this comparative analysis to the Vancouver-centred region – including how city regions are defined.

        The course is organized around three modules: the first focuses on: the evolution of metropolitan government/governancet and on theoretical perspectives of the forms, some of the administrative and policy dilemmas confronting contemporary city regions and the senior jurisdictions with constitutional authority for their governance: including issues such as land use and urban transportation planning, environmental sustainability, social and economic equity, alternative forms of service delivery and debates about forms of governance. The second module examines the dynamics of actual metropolitan governance in selected Canadian and comparative case settings. Module three will consist of preparation of briefing notes and policy memoranda on specific metropolitan policy/governance issues, applying comparative lessons for Vancouver’s metropolitan setting; For a number of the weeks a small portion of the seminar will reflect on questions about a potential Royal Commission on future governance of the Vancouver city-region. (eg: rationale, mandate, personnel, research, timeline, etc.) For those interested, this will allow an opportunity to contribute to a joint report to the BC Municipal Ministry.       

A small number of field seminars – in Metro Vancouver (GV-Metro/Translink and at a city hall - as well as the involvement of metropolitan policy/governance experts/authors - is anticipated as part of the course + will be discussed at initial class meetings.

One Seminar/Colloquium Weekly.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: