The purpose of this project is to enable students in Cities of the World to develop a critical understanding of the challenges and prospects for one city or an urban region in the world based upon an assessment of its origins, current conditions and plans for the future. The assessment should explore what is distinct about the city/region, its origins, population size and composition, governmental structure, economic and environmental assets and institutions, as well as its built environment. What are the current issues that shape its planning and politics? Consider its livability and what makes it a good or not-so-good place to reside, and for which groups.
These are just some of the questions you can consider in your assessment, but you can definitely go beyond these issues based upon your interests as well as the uniqueness of the place you are examining. You should try to get current information about conditions and these are accessible from multiple sources, such as journals, web info, books, YouTube sources, etc. Over the semester, I will have you ask for a brief update on your research to check on progress.
