Urban Law Policy

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course will explore a range of legal and policy issues affecting American cities in areas ranging from housing and land use, concentrated poverty and racial segregation, expanded efforts to police crime, innovative efforts to encourage economic development, and the authority of cities to regulate in areas of state and federal concern (e.g., public health, civil rights, immigration), among others. We will analyze the underlying social, economic, and political causes of these problems and the responses made by policymakers and courts. We will examine the limits of existing legal doctrines concerning local government powers at a time when local government units are being asked to take on more and more responsibility for improving society and regulating the conduct of citizens in local jurisdictions. The material for the course will be a mix of readings from urban planning, sociology, law and political theory. Students will also be exposed to select legal principles affecting the role of cities in shaping a range of public policies. Grades will be based on active participation in class discussion, short weekly reaction papers, and a final research project. The last few weeks of the term will be dedicated to in-class presentations of student research projects.