IDCE 30202 - Land Use Seminar

How do communities decide on the use of their land? Who has access to land and who does not? Under which conditions can disadvantaged groups engage in land use negotiations? How are Latino families in San Francisco battling to retain their homes and jobs against zoning rules that favor dot-com and development of expensive lofts? How are Indian Pehuenches and environmentalists in the Bio-bio river in Chile negotiating land ownership with industrialists and hydroelectric plant developers? How are artists struggling to find space to live and work in the now popular “art districts”? How are Chinese city officials creating a real estate market and for whom? Land use decisions are central to the development opportunities of any community. However, those decisions are embedded in complex political processes that in many cases obscure the social and economic implications. The task of this seminar is to explore the complexities of these processes and to understand how residents, developers and government officials negotiate land-use decisions. Major topics: Cities and environment: Natural capital in Chile, urban sprawl and smart growth in California; Urban places: Downtown, art districts, plazas; Retail trends: Big box development, street vendors, e-commerce; Profit and people: Lofts vs. family housing in San Francisco, building a real estate market in Beijing, multigenerational land ownership in Colombia.

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