CitiesX: The Past, Present and Future of Urban Life

EDX

Category: Social Sciences Tags: Beginner, Course, EDX, Harvard Free Courses

Introduction

CitiesX: Explore what makes cities energizing, amazing, challenging, and perhaps humanity’s greatest invention.

About this course

For the first time in human history, more than fifty percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Cities allow for the exchange of ideas, and generate remarkable innovations in business, art, and ideas. Cities are also home to millions living in poverty. Urban living can provide a pathway to a better life, but that’s not always the case for many people around the world.

CitiesX will give you a far-ranging look at the past, present and future of cities, with the aim of teaching you how to better understand, appreciate and improve urban areas. The course will explore key concepts of urban development by examining cities around the world, including London, Rio de Janeiro, New York City, Shanghai, Mumbai, Kigali, and many more.

The course includes a historical exploration of cities: how urban centers like ancient Rome resulted from the consolidation of imperial power, how cities like Sao Paulo grew as important hotbeds of industry, and how cities like Seattle became hubs of technology and human capital.
CitiesX also dives into pressing social and urban planning issues like public health, transportation, zoning, gentrification, cost of living, crime, and congestion. The course includes interviews and insights from academics, policymakers, urban leaders and city residents.

The analytical framework of the course comes from economics but is enhanced by conversations with experts from other disciplines (including Sociology, Urban Planning, Journalism, Anthropology, History, Art & Music) to provide learners with a greater understanding of all aspects of urbanism.

Support for CitiesX is generously provided by Tishman Speyer.

What you will learn from ‘CitiesX: The Past, Present and Future of Urban Life’?

• A deeper understanding of what urbanism looks like around the world
• A historical perspective on the rise of cities throughout the world
• The role local and national governments play in developing and distorting cities
• The cultural contributions cities make to how we live, love, and learn
• The role of transportation in creating a liveable city
• Different approaches to analyzing public policy in cities
• What the future might hold for urban life

Syllabus

1. CitiesX: Power and the City

•  Introduction
•  The Growth of the Imperial City
•  China and the Changing Capital City
•  The Modern Imperial City
•  The Legacy of Imperial Cities
•  Reflection

2. CitiesX: Trade and the City

•  Introduction
•  Power of the Mercantile City
•  Ports: Trading Goods and Culture
•  Shanghai: Connecting China to the World
•  Reflection

3. CitiesX: City of Industry

•  Introduction
•  The Dawn and Decline of Industry: United Kingdom
•  Planning the Industrial City
•  Industry in the New World
•  The Rise, Fall, and Future of Detroit
•  Reflection

4. CitiesX: The Consumer City

•  Introduction
•  Cities & Markets
•  Urban Pleasures
•  Chains of Influence in Painting
•  Performing Arts & the City
•  Creating Cool Cities
•  Shopping in London
•  Reflection

5. CitiesX: Technology and the City

•  Introduction
•  Online and In Person
•  Technology and the Service Economy
•  The Inventive City
•  Innovation in India
•  Better Government Through Data
•  City of the Future
•  Reflection

6. Poverty and Opportunity

•  Introduction
•  The City of Hope
• Racial Segregation in the U.S.
•  The Power of Place in Education
•  Life in the Favela
• Universities in Cities
• Reflection

7. CitiesX: The Built City

•  Introduction
•  Constructing the City
•  The Unintended Consequences of Growth
•  Governing the Cities of England
•  New York City’s Infrastructure
•  Planning the City
•  Power and Planning
•  Urban Parks
•  Reflection

8. At Home in the City

•  Introduction
• The History of Homes
• Making Housing Affordable
•  Gentrification in Greater Boston
•  Creating Community
•  Reflection

9. CitiesX: Transportation in the City

•  Introduction
•  Options for Urban Mobility
•  Public Transportation in Boston
• Congestion Pricing
• Transportation in the 21st Century
•  Reflection

10. Urban Health

•  Introduction
•  Plague & Cities
•  Water Works
• Health in the Developing World
•  Health & Urban Happiness
• Reflection

11. CitiesX: The Safe City

• Introduction
•  Policing the City
•  Urban Uprisings
•  Urban Pacification in Brazil
• The Tradeoff Between Freedom & Safety
•  Reflection

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