Downtown Management Organizations
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this urban studies course on downtown management organizations (DMOs), including business improvement districts, examined across the United States, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The course covers the origins and functions of DMOs, the urban theories used to justify their creation and design, and how DMO policy has spread across national contexts. It gives particular attention to the spatial and political effects of DMO proliferation and to the role these organizations play in controlling and securing public space. Materials include the syllabus, readings, and assignments as published by MIT, free to access online. No certificate is offered, consistent with MIT OpenCourseWare's model, but the full set of course materials is available for self-study.