Harvard Extension School

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy

Fall Term 2017
Course Information and Syllabus

Version 2 August 8, 2017 - Subject to Revision

Days and Times: Tuesday, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Location:

Instructor Information: James Carras

HKS Office: 124 Mt Auburn Street, Suite 100, Room 109
Office Hours: By appointment, especially before class, on Tuesday
Telephone: 954.415.2022
E-mail: James_Carras@hks.harvard.edu
Course Assistant:
E-mail:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course reviews development policy making in urban areas, focusing on differing
economic, demographic, institutional, and political settings. Course topics include a
critical analysis of the continuing viability of cities in the context of current
economic and demographic dynamics, economic development, poverty and race,
gentrification, homelessness, federal, state and local urban policy and growth
strategies for declining and stagnant cities. The course considers economic
development, housing, development finance and social equity in the context of
regions and examines public intervention strategies for expanding community
economic development and affordable housing opportunities. Of special concern is
the continuing spatial and racial isolation and concentration of low-income
populations, especially minority and immigrant populations, residing in urban
communities. The course examines how market forces and pressures affect the
availability of affordable housing, exacerbate the impacts of gentrification, and
inhibit the availability of capital for affordable housing and economic development.
It also examines how issues around growing housing affordability problems, the
changing structure of capital markets, the reduction of low-skilled jobs in urban
areas, and racial discrimination combine to limit housing, employment and quality
of life opportunities.

AUDIENCE:
Open to all students. Students with interests in housing, community and economic
development and development finance issues are also encouraged to participate.

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 1

EXPECTATIONS:
Students are expected to attend all classes. If you are going to miss class, you need
to get in touch with me by email. The only excused absences are medical, family
and religions issues. Classes will discuss both required readings and case material.
The course should help students build a base of fundamental understanding of
urban-related development policies and strategies enabling them to better
understand and weigh the benefit of federal, state or local housing, community and
economic development programs and initiatives.

In addition to completing the required readings and participating in all class and
case discussions, students will be expected to complete two written assignments
and a final paper.

Policy Memo One: Due: October 3

Policy Memo Two; Due: November 7
Final Policy Paper: Due: December 12

GRADES:
Students will be evaluated on their contribution to case and class discussions as
well as two policy memos, a final policy paper and in-class presentation.

Class participation: 20 percent

Brief Policy Memo 1 (three to five pages) 20 percent
Brief Policy Memo 2 (three to five pages) 20 percent
Final paper (10 to 12 pages) 40 percent

MATERIALS:
There is no textbook for the course. Most of the course readings are available
online and on the course web site.. Links to online resources are noted in the
reading list.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:
You are responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on
academic integrity (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-
conduct/academic-integrity) and how to use sources responsibly. Not knowing the
rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time, submitting the wrong draft,
or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable excuses. There are
no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To support your learning about
academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard Extension School Tips to Avoid
Plagiarism (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/tips-avoid-
plagiarism), where you'll find links to the Harvard Guide to Using Sources and two

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 2

free online 15-minute tutorials to test your knowledge of academic citation policy.
The tutorials are anonymous open-learning tools.

SCHEDULE AND READINGS:

August 29 Introduction to course. Review Course requirements.

Federal Urban Policy Public Housing, Urban Renewal and
the Great Society to Today.

For this opening class, the history of Federal Urban Policy particularly as it relates
to housing, economic development and development finance will be discussed and
students will examine and discuss key indicators of urban physical decline and the
upgrading of the quality of life standards for those who live in low-opportunity,
urban communities.

For students new to the urban policy field, especially of housing, community and
economic development policy, should quickly scan the article by Vicki Been and
Ingrid Ellen. Those unfamiliar with the wide range of programs (and associated
jargon and alphabet soup of agencies names) that comprise urban policy in the
United States are encouraged to review sections the 2011 Advocates Guide to
Housing and Community Development Policy, including an excellent glossary of
terms which is useful throughout the course.

**The National Report Card on Poverty and Inequality, Stanford University Center
for Policy and Inequality
http://inequality.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Pathways_SOTU_2014.pdf

**Alan Berube, All Cities Are Not Created Unequal, Brookings Institution,
https://www.brookings.edu/research/all-cities-are-not-created-unequal/

Mallach, Alan, Facing the Urban Challenge: The Federal Government and
Americas Older Distressed Cities, A paper prepared for the What Works
Collaborative. June 2010 (ONLINE AT
http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/28101/1001392-Facing-the-Urban-
Challenge-The-Federal-Government-and-America-s-Older-Distressed-Cities.PDF

NLIHC, 2014 Advocates Guide to Housing and Community Development Policy,

(ONLINE at: http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2017_Advocates-Guide.pdf)

September 5 The Geography of Opportunity Key Indicators

** Galster, George C. The Mechanisms of Neighborhood Effects: Theory, Evidence,

and Policy Implications, Paper for presentation at the ESRC Seminar
Neighborhood Effects: Theory and Evidence St. Andrews University, Scotland
England, February, 2010 (DOWNLOAD ONLINE AT

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 3

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCY
QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F22861476
8_The_Mechanism_(s)_of_Neighborhood_Effects._Theory_Evidence_and_Policy_Im
plications%2Ffile%2Fe0b4952a63347672c0.pdf&ei=9v18U7zyMI6Mqgax-
YDwBw&usg=AFQjCNHFwslQgvuTVasP2YmL-
j1rKAMLQA&bvm=bv.67229260,d.b2k

**Stuart Rosenfeld, Where Do Poor Renters Live in Our Cities, in Revisiting

Rental Housing pp. 59-92 ONLINE AT
http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/rr07-2_rosenthal.pdf

September 12 Addressing Concentrated Poverty and Race - Policy Issues

**Angela Glover Blackwell, Americas Tomorrow: Race, Place and the Equity
Agenda, p. 133, http://whatworksforamerica.org/pdf/whatworks_fullbook.pdf

**Belsky E. and Fauth, J. Crossing Over to an Improved Era of Community

Development. Investing In What Works for Americas Communities: Essays on
People, Place, and Purpose. Pgs. 72-103. Retrieved from:
http://whatworksforamerica.org/pdf/whatworks_fullbook.pdf

**Smith, J. and Brooks, A. Transit-Oriented Development is Good Community

Development. Investing In What Works for Americas Communities: Essays on
People, Place, and Purpose. Pgs. 255-263. Retrieved from:
http://whatworksforamerica.org/pdf/whatworks_fullbook.pdf

**Xavier de Souza Briggs, Social Capital: Easy Beauty or Meaningful Resource,

Journal of the American Planning Association, Volume 70, Issue 2, (Spring 2004),
pp. 151-158.
ONLINE AT
http://www.tandfonline.com.ezp-
prod1.hul.harvard.edu/doi/pdf/10.1080/01944360408976369

**Xavier de Souza Briggs, Networks, Power, and a Dual Agenda: New Lessons and
Strategies for Old Community Building Dilemmas, Working Smarter in
Community Development Knowledge-in-Action Brief 07-3 (June 2007)
http://web.mit.edu/workingsmarter/media/pdf-ws-kia-brief-0703.pdf

**Robert J. Sampson Networks and Neighborhoods in Helen McCarty, Paul

Miller, and Paul Skidmore, eds., Network Logic: Who Governs in an
Interconnected World, (London, Demos, 2004) pp. 157-166.(ONLINE AT
http://www.demos.co.uk/files/networklogic.pdf?1240939425

September 19 Current Rental Housing Policy Issues

**Joint Center for Housing Studies, Americas Rental Housing: Meeting

Challenges, Building on Opportunities (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2015)

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 4

(ONLINE AT
http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/americas_rental_housing_
2015_web.pdf

**Bruce Katz and Margery Austin Turner, Rethinking U.S. Rental Housing Policy:
Build of State and Local Innovations a paper prepared for Revisiting Rental
Housing: A National Policy Summit, (ONLINE AT
http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2007/02/28metropolitanpolicy-katz-
opp08

Eric S. Belsky and Rachel Bogardus Drew, Taking Stock of the Nations Rental
Housing Challenges and a Half Century of Public Policy Responses, a paper
prepared for Revisiting Rental Housing (ONLINE AT
http://jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/rr07-1_belsky_drew.pdf

Anthony Downs, Introduction: Why Rental Housing Is the Neglected Child of

American Shelter," in Nicolas P. Retsinas and Eric S. Belsky, editors, Revisiting
Rental Housing (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2008) (HKS
LIBRARY) or ONLINE:
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/press/books/2008/revisitingrentalhousing/revisiti
ngrentalhousing_chapter.pdf

Urban Institute, Housing Assistance Matters Initiative, Review rental housing data
for your county,
http://www.urban.org/housingaffordability/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=em
ail&utm_campaign=UI%20Update&utm_content=Mar+2014+-+1st+Thursday

September 26 Homeownership: The American Dream, Alive or Dying?

** The State of the Nation's Housing 2016, Joint Center for Housing Studies
http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/son_2016_200dpi_ch4.pdf

**Robert M. Counch, The Great Recessions Most Unfortunate Victim:

Homeownership, Joint Center for Housing, 2013,
http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/misc13-1_couch.pdf

William M. Rohe and Harry L. Watson, eds., Chasing the American Dream,
(Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2007), Chapter 1 "Introduction: Homeownership
in American Culture and Public Policy and Chapter 2 The Ideological Origins of
Affordable Homeownership Effects. (HKS LIBRARY)

October 3 Implementing Urban Policy Availability of and Accessibility to

Capital

The Role of Regulated Financial Institutions and the Community

Reinvestment Act (CRA)

**Braunstein, S. The Community Reinvestment Act. Testimony Before the

Committee on Financial Services. February 13, 2008. Retrieved from:

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 5

http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/testimony/braunstein20080213a.htm

**Bhutta, N. and Canner, G. Did the CRA Cause the Mortgage Market
Meltdown? Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Community Dividend. March
1, 2009.
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=4136&

October 10 Federal Tax Credit Programs Low Income Housing Tax

Credits

Novogradac and Co. YouTube Video on Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
Basics. Retrieved from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxwpoLztx70&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Department of Housing and Urban Development, LIHTC Basics. Retrieved from:

http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/training/web/lihtc/basics/

**Kirk McClure, "The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program Goes Mainstream
and Moves to the Suburbs" Housing Policy Debate, Vol. 17, Issue 3, (2006) pp. 419-
446.
http://saud.ku.edu/sites/default/files/hpd_1703_mcclure.pdf

Kirk McClure, "The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit as an Aid to Housing Finance"
Housing Policy Debate, Vol. 11, Issue 1, (2000) pp. 91-114. (ONLINE AT
http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/showdoc.html?id=3083

using Tax Credit: (A) Tuscaloosa South, Case C16-94-1249.0. (HKS LIBRARY)

Kimura, D. Looking for Balance: Syndicators React to Rising Prices, Falling

Yields. Affordable Housing Finance. September 2011. Retrieved from:
http://www.housingfinance.com/ahf/articles/2011/september/0911-finance-Looking-
for-Balance.htm

Federal Reserve Board of Governors and Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Innovative Ideas for Revitalizing the LIHTC Market. November, 2009. Pgs. 4-5
and 31-32.
Retrieved from:
http://stlouisfed.org/community_development/assets/pdf/LIHTC.pdf

Alternatives to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit

**Mark L. Joseph, Is Mixed-Income Development an Antidote to Urban Poverty?

Housing Policy Debate, Volume 17, Issue 2, (2006) pp. 81-108. (ONLINE AT
http://www.knowledgeplex.org/showdoc.html?id=205411

**Jill Khadduri and Charles Wilkins, Designing Subsidized Rental Housing

Programs: What Have We Learned? a paper prepared for Revisiting Rental

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 6

Housing: A National Policy Summit, AT
http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/rr07-5_khadduri.pdf

October 17 Accessing Capital for Small Business Credit

Robb, Alicia, Access to Capital among Young Firms, Minority-owned Firms,

Women-owned Firms, and High-tech Firms,
https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/rs403tot(2).pdf

SBA 504 Loan Refinancing Program. Retrieved from:

http://www.sba.gov/content/504-loan-refinancing-program

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. New Alternatives in Small Business

Financing. Retrieved from:
http://www.richmondfed.org/publications/community_development/marketwise_com
munity/2011/pdf/vol02_issue01.pdf

Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Addressing the Financing Needs of Small

Businesses. July 2010. Retrieved from:
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/conferences/sbc_small_business_summa
ry.pdf

Community Development Financial Institutions

**Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Community Development Department.

Community Development Financial Institutions: A Unique Partnership for
Banks. Special Issue, 2011. Retrieved from:
http://www.richmondfed.org/community_development/resource_centers/cdfi/pdf/cd
fi-special-2011.pdf

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Strategies for Community Banks to

Develop Partnerships, 2014, Retrieved from:
https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/community/cdfi/cdfis_entirereport.pdf

October 24 Community and Economic Development

Dealing with Gentrification and Diversity

** Daniel Hartley, Gentrification and Financial Health, Federal Reserve Bank of

Cleveland,
http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/trends/2013/1113/01regeco.cfm

**Robert D. Putnams E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the

Twenty-First Century, The 2006 John Skytte Prize Lecture, Scandinavian
Political Studies, Vol. 30, Issue 2 (2006), pp. 137-74. (ONLINE AT
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9477.2007.00176.x/full

**Xavier de Souza Briggs, Some of My Best Friends Are ..: Interracial

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 7

Friendships, Class, and Segregation in America in City & Community, Vol. 6,
Issue 4 Dec, 2007 pp. 263 290.
http://web.mit.edu/dusp/dusp_extension_unsec/people/faculty/briggs/briggs-2007-
interracial.pdf

David Goodhart, Too Diverse? Prospect Magazine, February, 2004, pp 30 37 and

Too Diverse? Replies to David Goodharts Essay, Prospect Magazine, March 2004
[2006], pp 1 10 (ONLINE AT
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/too-diverse-david-goodhart-
multiculturalism-britain-immigration-globalisation/#.U3zW0l6KkQQ
And www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2006/06/repliestodavidgoodhart/

October 31 The Role of Community-Based Development Organizations

** Alexander Von Hoffman, The Past, Present and Future of Community

Development in the United States, page 10-54,
http://whatworksforamerica.org/pdf/whatworks_fullbook.pdf

**Rachel G. Bratt Should We Foster the Non Profit Sector as Developers and
Owners of Subsidized Rental Housing? a paper prepared for Revisiting Rental
Housing: A National Policy Summit, (ONLINE AT
http://jchs.unix.fas.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/rr07-12_bratt.pdf

**Gregory Ratliff and Kirsten Moy, New Pathways to Scale for Community
Development Finance, Profitwise News and Views, (Dec., 2004), pp. 2-23.
ONLINE AT
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/upload/12_2004_pnv_new_
pathways_to_scale.pdf

Alan Berube, The Continuing Evolution of American Poverty and its Implication for
Community Development, page 55-71,
http://whatworksforamerica.org/pdf/whatworks_fullbook.pdf

November 7 : City Government and Economic Development

**Springfield Massachusetts, Strategies for a Sustainable City,

http://www3.springfield-
ma.gov/cos/fileadmin/reports/SpringfieldMA06v6_lores.pdf

**National League of Cities, The Role of Local Elected Officials in Economic

Development, https://www.planning.org/policy/guides/adopted/smartgrowth.htm

November 14 Private Sector Economic Development a n d N e w

Market Tax Credits

** Kent Portney, Local Sustainability Policies and Programs As Economic

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 8

Development: Is the New Economic Development Sustainable Development?
http://www.huduser.org/portal/periodicals/cityscpe/vol15num1/Cityscape_March2013
_local_sus.pdf

**Michael E. Porter, New Strategies for Inner-City Economic Development,

Economic Development Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 1, (February 1997), pp. 11-27 Can
access through Sagepub with login info

**Julia Sass Rubin, Developmental Venture Capital: Conceptualizing the Field,

in Venture Capital, Volume 4, No, 4 (2009) pp. 335360

** La Franchi, Deborah, New Markets Tax Credits: A Growing String of Successes

Across the Country
http://www.sdsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/%E2%80%9CNew-Markets-
Tax-Credits-A-Growing-String-of-Successes-Across-the-Country%E2%80%9D.pdf

November 21 No Class

November 28

Smart Growth Equity

**Blackwell, Angela Glover, Regional Equity and Smart Growth,
http://www.fundersnetwork.org/files/learn/Regional_Equity_and_Smart_Growth_2n
d_Ed.pdf

APA Policy Guide on Smart Growth,

https://www.planning.org/policy/guides/adopted/smartgrowth.htm

December 5 Equitable Transit Oriented Development

**Promoting Opportunity through Equitable Transit-Oriented Development,

(To be assigned)

December 12 Final Presentations Select Students

*Additional Suggested Reading:

The Urban Institute www.urban.org

The Brookings Institution www.brook.edu
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development www.hud.gov
Center for Urban Policy Research www.policy.rutgers.edu/cupr
American Planning Association http://www.planning.org/publications/
http://www.plannersweb.com/articles/sprawl-articles.html

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 9

Housing Programs:
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/hcv/about/fact_sheet.cfm
http://www.hud.gov/renting/phprog.cfm

ECON E-1700, Urban Policy Syllabus 10