GGR353H1

Planning for Local and Regional Economic Development

Years of post-War socioeconomic convergence notwithstanding, scholars and policymakers at all spatial scales have noted a relatively recent and alarming trend toward rapidly accelerating socioeconomic polarization. Rich nations are diverging from poorer ones on myriad metrics as are rich and poor localities. In response, social scientists generally, and economic development planners in particular, have been attempting to understand what lies behind this trend and, more importantly, to conceive of methods of intervening in the market to produce more sustainable outcomes while also addressing the effects of spatially uneven development. This course will introduce students to the study and practice of planning for local and regional development, largely and the local and regional scales.