1. MPPA-DL 452
The Global City
Summer 2011
Contact Information: NU email: g-wass@northwestern.edu; personal email: gregorywass@gmail.com; cell: 312-
919-2919. Available weekdays 8am to 7pm (central).
Course Description: Why do cities persist? The last decade has seen a resurgence in the economies of some major
cities—especially the global cities of this course's title—while other post-industrial cities continue a long decline.
Cities are being transformed by the information revolution today much as cities were transformed by the industrial
revolution two centuries ago.
In this course, students will develop an understanding of urbanization, including how city form differs depending
on when a city experiences its greatest growth, and how globalization can produce increasing disparity. The course
will cover concepts in economic geography, transportation, sustainability, governance, economic development,
poverty and inequality, architecture and urban planning. Readings will include recent studies on urbanization and
globalization.
Textbooks:
Brugmann, J. (latest edition). Welcome to the urban revolution. London: Bloomsbury Press.
Sassen, S. (2006). Cities in a world economy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press
Brenner, N. & Keil, R. (Eds.). (2006). The global cities reader. Abingdon, OX: Routledge.
Learning Goals: The goals of this course are to:
-Understand the nature and history of the global city.
-Formulate and theorize about the major research questions in the global cities literature.
-Explain the effects of public policy actions on global cities.
Evaluation:
-Individual Case Study: 20% (200 points)
-Midterm Exam: 15% (150 points)
-Group Case Study: 20% (200 points)
-Final Exam: 15% (150 points)
-Participation: 30% (300 points)
Participation on Discussion Boards: The participation score for the course is based on the quality and quantity of
engagement by the student in the weekly discussion board topics. Students must post at least once to each topic
thread by EOD Thursday of each week, and again by EOD Sunday to receive full credit. However, cluttering a
discussion board with inappropriate, irrelevant, or insignificant material will not earn additional points and may
result in receiving less than full credit. Content of the message is paramount. Also, it is important that we always
remain respectful of one another’s viewpoints and positions and, when necessary, agree to disagree, respectfully.
Please remember to cite all sources – when relevant – in order to avoid plagiarism.
Proctored Assessment: There is a proctored assessment requirement in this course. For additional information,
MPPA 452 The Global City

2. please go to the Assignments section in Blackboard and scroll to the Proctored Exam Approval Application item.
Grading Scale: The following is the grading scale for the course: 900-1000 points = A; 800-899 points = B; 650-799
points = C; 0-649 points = F.
Attendance: While this course is asynchronous, meaning that we will not meet at a particular time each week, one
to two sync sessions will be offered during the quarter at times to be announced. These are optional for students
to attend. Even though we will not be meeting face-to-face in a physical classroom, participation on Discussion
Boards is required and is paramount to your success in this class.
Late Work: There will be a 10 point deduction for every day an assignment is late.
Learning Groups: Students will work in groups for one case study assignment. The instructor will post an
announcement listing groups and topics, and students will then be expected to work together collaboratively to
create a presentation. Students may use any of the following tools for collaboration: e-mail, group Discussion
Boards, Skype, Google (docs, chat), Adobe Connect. The group case study will be graded as a whole and all
members of the group will receive the same grade.
Academic Integrity at Northwestern: Students are required to comply with University regulations regarding
academic integrity. If you are in doubt about what constitutes academic dishonesty, speak with your instructor or
graduate coordinator before the assignment is due and/or examine the University web site. Academic dishonesty
includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an exam, obtaining an unfair advantage, and plagiarism (e.g., taking
material from readings without citation or copying another student's paper). Failure to maintain academic integrity
will result in a grade sanction, possibly as severe as failing and being required to retake the course, and could lead
to a suspension or expulsion from the program. Further penalties may apply. For more information, visit:
http://www.scs.northwestern.edu/student/issues/academic_integrity.cfm
Plagiarism is one form of academic dishonesty. Students can familiarize themselves with the definition and
examples of plagiarism, by visiting the site http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/plagiar.html. Myriad other sources
can be found online, as well.
Assignments in this course may be required to be submitted through SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection and
education tool. You can find an explanation of the tool at
http://wiki.safeassign.com/display/SAFE/Interpret+Reports. In brief, SafeAssign compares the submitted
assignment to millions of documents in very large databases. It then generates a report showing the extent to
which text within a paper is very similar or identical to pre-existing sources. The user can then see how or whether
the flagged text is cited appropriately, if at all. SafeAssign also returns a percentage score, indicating the
percentage of the submitted paper that is similar or identical to pre-existing sources. High scores are not
necessarily bad, nor do they necessarily indicate plagiarism, since the score doesn't take into account how or
whether material is cited. Low scores are not necessarily good, nor do they necessarily indicate a lack of
plagiarism. (If a 50-page paper had all original material, except for one short quote that was not cited, the score
might be around 1%. But, not citing a quotation would still be plagiarism.)
SafeAssign includes an option in which the student can submit a paper and see the resultant report before
submitting it to the instructor as a final copy. This ideally will help students better understand and avoid
plagiarism.
Other Processes and Policies: Please refer to your SCS student handbook at
http://www.scs.northwestern.edu/grad/information/handbook.cfm for additional course and program processes
and policies.
MPPA 452 The Global City

3. Course Schedule
(Note: Changes may occur to the syllabus at the instructor's discretion. When changes are made, students will be
notified via an announcement in Blackboard.)
Session 1 Themes/Paris: June 20 - 26
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
-Identify the characteristics of a global city.
-Recognize the effect of globalization on cities, the spatial patterns within and among cities, and the effect of
globalization on firms and households.
-Discuss the reasons for specialization and hegemony of different cities in modern history, including Amsterdam,
London and New York.
-Discuss Brugmann’s four city-building approaches
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapters 1 and 6
Sassen, Chapter 1
Brenner, Chapters 1, 2, 3
Multimedia
Themes/Paris slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
Proctored Exam Approval Application is due Sunday, June 26, 2011, 11:59pm (central time). For more information,
click Assignments on the left navigation bar in Blackboard, and scroll to this assignment’s item.
Session 2 Dynamics/London: June 27 – July 3
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
-Identify the major characteristics of global cities and key eras/stages in their history.
-Differentiate between the ancient and modern drivers behind global city formation.
MPPA 452 The Global City

4. -Discuss London’s policy responses to traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
-Explain reasons for the different economic development patterns, economic geographies, urban/suburban forms
and cultural histories of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapters 3
Sassen, Chapter 2
Brenner, Chapters 4 and 5
Multimedia
Dynamics/London slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
Individual Case Study, Part 1: City/Theme Selection is due by Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 11:59pm (central time). For
more information, click Assignments on the left navigation bar in Blackboard, and scroll to this assignment’s item.
Session 3 Circuits/Toronto: July 4 - 10
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
-Explain the economic, social and physical restructuring of global cities over the past 50 years.
-Explain the role of transnationals and interpret Sassen’s statement that “global cities are strategic sites for the
management of the global economy.”
-Describe the major international flows of capital and people.
-Explain the concept of “global circuits” of transnationals and diasporas.
-Explain John Friedman’s “world city hypothesis”.
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapters 2 and 9
Sassen, Chapter 3
Brenner, Chapters 6 and 7
Multimedia
MPPA 452 The Global City

5. Circuits/Toronto slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
None
Session 4 Centers/Tokyo: July 11 - 17
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
-Explain the concepts of agglomeration, spillovers and economies of scale.
-Contrast and compare Miami, Sydney and Toronto in terms of globalization, concentration, and specialization.
-Explain the changing global role and urban restructuring of Tokyo during the 1980s, especially the effect of
technology on spatial organization.
-Explain the bid-rent model of determining land valuation based on transportation costs.
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapter 7
Sassen, Chapter 4
Chapters 17, 20, and 33 of Brenner
Multimedia
Introduction to Agglomeration
Centers/Tokyo slides
Bid/Rent Model slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
Individual Case Study, Part 2: Final Case Study is due by Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 11:59pm (central time). For more
information, click Assignments on the left navigation bar in Blackboard, and scroll to this assignment’s item.
Session 5 Margins/Berlin: July 18 - 24
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
MPPA 452 The Global City

6. -Explain the concepts of the informal economy, earnings curve, polarization and Gini index.
-Explain Sassen’s arguments on global labor migration, informal employment, and polarization, and contrast these
arguments with other leading experts’ opinions.
-Discuss how the geography of industrial and commercial development leads to urban conflict and a struggle over
urban space.
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapter 5
Sassen, Chapter 5
Brenner, Chapters 13 and 40
Multimedia
Margins/Berlin slides
Bid/Rent Model slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
Midterm Exam is due by Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 11:59pm (central time). For more information, click Assignments
on the left navigation bar in Blackboard, and scroll to this assignment’s item.
Session 6 Ecologies/Stockholm: July 25 - 31
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
-Define the elements that collectively determine the sustainability of global cities.
-Recognize and explain the local and global environmental impacts of urbanization and globalization.
-Explain how sustainability can be assisted through economic incentives and disincentives such as congestion
pricing and cap-and-trade programs.
-Specify real-world examples of sustainability in action, their costs and potential benefits.
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapters 10, 11 and 12
Sassen, Chapter 6
MPPA 452 The Global City

7. Brenner, Chapter 21
Multimedia
Ecologies/Stockholm slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
Group Case Study, Part 1: Resources is due by Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 11:59pm (central time). For more
information, click Assignments on the left navigation bar in Blackboard, and scroll to this assignment’s item.
Session 7 Architectures/Los Angeles: August 1 – 7
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
-Explain how the attempt to “go global” is reflected in urban form.
-Recognize how the built environment reflects the larger world system of economy, society and culture.
-Explain how global media cities function as centers of creativity and contribute to the “production of lifestyle
images.”
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Sassen, Chapter 7
Brenner, Chapters 23, 37 and 39
Multimedia
Architectures/Los Angeles slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
None
Session 8 Crises/Detroit: August 8 - 14
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
MPPA 452 The Global City

8. -Explain what drives deindustrialization, the effect of deindustrialization on urban agglomerations, and how cities
have coped and fared with globalization, deindustrialization and global recession in the 20th and 21st centuries.
-Define and contrast the stages of specialization, reorganization and decentralization in two major U.S. cities.
-Evaluate the effects of local and global crises on cities, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the global financial crisis,
and the recent twin disasters in Japan.
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapters 4 and 8
Sassen, Chapter 8
Brenner, Chapter 18
Multimedia
Crises/Detroit slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
Group Case Study, Part 2: Presentations are due by Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 11:59pm (central time). For more
information, click Assignments on the left navigation bar in Blackboard, and scroll to this assignment’s item.
Session 9 Frontiers/Shanghai: August 15 - 21
Learning Objectives:
After this session, the student will be able to:
-Distinguish among different paths to globalization, including hyper global cities, emerging global cities, and global
city states.
-Assess how global circuits and 21st century urban forms have begun to reshape theories of global city
development and urban studies.
-Consider alternate paths to future city formation and sustainability.
Course Content:
Reading -- For this session read the following:
Brugmann, Chapters 14 and 15
Brenner, Chapters 26 and 48
Kotkin, “Urban Legends,” Foreign Policy magazine, Sep/Oct 2010 (in Course Content)
MPPA 452 The Global City

9. Multimedia
Frontiers/Shanghai slides
Discussion Board
Each Session you are required to participate in all Discussion Board forums. Your participation in both posting and
responding to other students' comments is graded. For this week’s discussion topic(s), visit the Discussion Board in
Blackboard.
Assignment
Final Exam is due by Monday, August 22, 2011 at 11:59pm (central time). For more information, click Assignments
on the left navigation bar in Blackboard, and scroll to this assignment’s item.
MPPA 452 The Global City