Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Provides a critical evaluation of the varied nature and development of metropolitan governance. It focuses on differing city-regional forms and responsibilities, theoretically, and in North America, the EU, Asia, New Zealand and Israel. Emphasis is placed on comparing the political processes involved in the governing of major urban regions, especially on intergovernmental institutions and multilevel governance. The course also provides opportunities for students to interact with political/bureaucratic actors and local/comparative experts. The intention is to apply lessons from this comparative analysis to the Vancouver-centered region.

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 comparative readings/cases and research papers/submissions. It will focus on differing city-regional governing forms and responsibilities in North America, the EU, and Asia, with an emphasis on comparing the political processes involved in the governing of major urban regions.  The intention is to apply lessons from this comparative analysis to the Metro Vancouver region – including how city regions are defined.  

The course is organized around three entangled threads: First, we will study the evolution of metropolitan government/ governance, some key theoretical perspectives, and some trenchant administrative and policy dilemmas, 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 thread examines the dynamics of actual metropolitan governance in selected Canadian and comparative case settings. The third will consist of preparation of briefing notes, policy memoranda and position papers on specific metropolitan policy/governance issues, applying comparative lessons to Metro Vancouver.  

The course will enable students to critically evaluate the varied nature and development of metropolitan governance through assessments of differing forms and gain critical tools for assessing specific problems and their proposed solutions. We will also spend time covering some theoretical territory around governmentality, disciplinary institutions and contemporary forms of neo-liberal and globalized power in urban governance and provide opportunities to interact with political/bureaucratic actors, authors and local/comparative experts.  

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: