Housing and Land Use in Rapidly Urbanizing Regions
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this interdisciplinary graduate course on how law, economics, sociology, political science, and planning each conceptualize urban land and property rights. Case studies test what each disciplinary lens reveals and what it misses, covering topics such as community land trusts for affordable housing, mixed-use development in public space, and critical cartography. The course also considers how design, mapping, and visual studies frame the physical spaces that social scientists analyze more abstractly. Materials include readings, case studies, and assignments drawn from current urban planning debates, and the site provides a full syllabus. As with other MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, all materials are free to access with no certificate offered. It suits students of urban studies, planning, or policy who want a cross-disciplinary framework for thinking about land, housing, and space in fast-growing cities.