Urban Economics and Urban Snapshots
One of the most interesting aspects of urban economics is that urban structure can be observed simply by looking around. The urban snapshots project asks you to take scenes relevant to you and interpret them through the lens of the models we talk about in class.
You are to take eight photographs of urban scenes and write accompanying text (~1 page of double-spaced text per scene) to interpret the scenes using economic concepts we cover in class. You may also juxtapose two photographs to illustrate one scene (rich vs. poor, sprawling vs. dense, etc.) – those count as one scene.
Be sure to attribute your photographs by taking note of who took the photograph and the location/date/time. If you have taken a photograph before this course that you would like to include, that is fine. Finally, if you happen upon a really effective photograph taken by someone else you may include it with proper attribution. No more than two of your scenes may come from photographs not taken by you. If you are unable, or uncomfortable taking these pictures for any reason, please let me know as soon as possible so that an accommodation can be made
You must hand in your own project. No collaboration is allowed.
Projects will be graded on several dimensions: (1) your ability to transfer the concepts seen in class to your photographs; (2) the quality of your descriptions and their relevance to class material; (3) the variety and originality of your selections; (4) a brief in-class presentation of one of your scenes. Remember that this is not a photography assignment, but an economics one. Each of your seven scenes as well as your brief in-class presentation will be graded out of 10 possible points, so the total grade is out of 80 points.
Important reminders:
1. You should not expect that photographs of the real world can be perfectly explained by the models we discuss in class. The real world is much more complex than any of our models ever are. Keep this in mind in your write-up.
2. Your safety is of paramount importance! Please do not put yourself at risk in any way for this assignment. Do not be too conspicuous in taking photographs, and do not take photos of people without their permission.
Instructor's Name
Course Name
Date
Urban Economics- Urban Snapshots
Why Cities Exist – Economic Perspective
Why Do Jobs Concentrate in Space?
(Image by Surbhi S., August 12, 2017).
The image above depicts a clustered urban area and a sparsely populated rural area. The relationship between place and economy and how they are constantly evolving and continually shaping growth and development is evident in the picture. The urban area seems to have more jobs because many individuals have moved to urban areas where they either work or create employment. In rural areas, even infrastructure is limited, which means jobs are fewer and less diverse. Similarly, rural areas require labor, and laborers receive a low income. The industrial revolution seems to have forced individuals to move to the urban areas because of more job opportunities and the expansion of the metropolitan regions of enormous size.
Economies of scale and agglomeration scales typically influence job concentration in the cities. Economies of scale provide regions with a competitive advantage. Companies and industries try to establish themselves in areas where efficiency increases with size, thus resulting in the concentration of job opportunities in a particular place. Urban areas enable enterprises to realize external economies of scale by subjecting them to the surrounding competitors, allowing the industries to participate in competitive practices. Urban areas offer a broad field for industries to create employment opportunities, thus concentrating jobs in a single locality.
Agglomeration scales influence job concentration in one locality because benefits tend to accrue when firms locate near each other so that costs decrease while productivity increases. Agglomeration scales improve the interchange of thoughts, thus creating invention and developments in the invention schemes of firms, increasing productivity and, therefore, the capital accumulation of a city. The agglomeration economies also improve the output rate, which consents for the quicker growth of organizations and the corporeal and pecuniary growth of the conurbations. Alternatively, the externalities are sturdier in the metropolises than in rustic areas due to the healthier interspersing of individuals in the urban areas. This means metropolises make more fiscal capacities than rustic areas.
Firm Location Theory
(Photo by Macht, W. taken on July 10, 2017).
The image depicts firms located in an urban area. The area has a good transport network t which means the firms have broad access to resources since they can easily transport goods and services from one region to another. The region seems to be surrounded by suburbs where the laborers stay. This means laborers are readily available. The area also seems to have an output market which is an added advantage towards achieving the goals of an organization.
Economies of scale and transportation costs influence firm location since they are the primary elements considered before establishing a firm. In many cases, urban areas usually have good transport networks compared to rural areas, thus facilitating the transportation of goods and services. The ability to access resources within a short time is part of the economies of scale since they influence the location of a firm. Economies of scale evaluate costs, available resources, and labor. Every other individual would like to establish a firm where the resources are readily available since they are the primary factors that influence the achievement of its goals.
A region that has developed a transport network tends to attract firms and industries. A good transport network saves time and minimizes transportation costs. According to weber, the location of a firm considers the agglomeration of economies, transportation costs, and labor costs. Based on weber's theory, a good transport network is a primary element for a firm's establishment since other factors can be adjusted. Finding a location with minimum transport costs is essential since a firm can adapt to this location and evaluate labor costs and agglomeration economies.
Firm Location: Agglomeration
(Photograph by Depositphotos, taken on June 28, 2012).
The above image depicts different firms clustered in a single region. Availability of resources and shared services might have influenced the strategy. This practice aims to make the organizations more productive. The strategy also enables the organizations to share inputs, access laborers and resources, and access knowledge spillovers.
In establishing a firm, agglomeration and clustering are the primary elements in achieving the goals of an organization. Agglomeration facilitates knowledge spillovers, thus facilitating innovation and development of firms. Non-traded local inputs and specialty services commonly influence agglomeration. Agglomeration is a dynamic process and is a primary element in clustering since it facilitates learning, sharing, and matching. The majority of the firms benefit more from spillover knowledge due to their city location since this is only available in densely populated localities. Even though a firm can choose any place, many firms choose a particular preference for an urban center location because they are driven by knowledge accessibility. Agglomeration economies include internal returns to scale, economies of localization, and urbanization.
Clustering plays the same role as agglomeration. Knowledge spillovers increase as the firms of the same industry cluster together. Similarly, as clustering increases, the concentration in the urban areas also increases since the individuals are attracted to the job opportunities created. Alternatively, diversified clusters tend to incubate new firms due to the low cost of shared services. On the other hand, firms in the rural areas tend to be small compared to those in the urban areas, which means labor is less indispensable, and knowledge spillovers are limited in the rural areas. This explains why the cities are employment concentrated compared to rural areas.
City Size and Urban Hierarchy
(Photograph by ADLC, taken in 2022).
The above image depicts an urban area surrounded by a rural area. The population is decreasing with the increase of the distance from the metropolitan area. Similarly, infrastructure decreases with the increase of distance from the urban center. The urban center is densely populated, while the surrounding rural area is sparsely populated.
Cities usually are located in highly populated regions where most of the economy's outputs are produced. Alternatively, if the size of a city decrease, then it means new cities are being created. Higher production of goods and services caters to a more significant number of consumers, meaning the input of services corresponds to their output. Alternatively, if a region is classified according to size and shape, the available infrastructure evolves from urban to semi-urban to rural. The quantity and quality of service provision increase with an increase in settlement size. Large cities have a universal sphere of sway while small towns have a limited sphere of sway; thus, city sizes attract concentration based on the services they can offer to individuals.
Urban hierarchy categorizes cities based on population density because it is the primary determinant of a government's cosmopolitan area. Urban hierarch...