Planning Economics
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this microeconomics course focused on markets that function poorly on their own. Topics include valuing environmental goods like national parks, the economics of global warming, the politics and market forces behind New York City development, why land in a city like Boston commands far higher prices than rural North Dakota, and how to compare costs and benefits that fall at different points in time. The course applies standard microeconomic tools, externalities, public goods, discounting, to these real-world planning problems rather than treating them as textbook exceptions. Materials include lecture notes, readings, and assignments from MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, available to audit at no cost, with no certificate offered.