DEP5104/UD5626 Urban and Regional Economics Assignment S1, 2025 | NUS

DEP5104/UD5626 Group Assignment: Urban Resilience Case Study 

Objectives

Cities around the world are facing multiple challenges, including growing income inequality, job polarization, shortage of affordable housing, population aging, and climate change and decarbonization imperative. These challenges are connected with how cities participate in the global economy and invest in their local assets. The global economy influences technology choices, skill demand, labor mobility, and regional disparity. Local assets, such as institutions fostering social capital and social mobility, local business networks and diversity, public transportation and affordable housing, enable cities to tackle challenging urban issues and to be resilient. 

This group assignment invites students to select a city and look into the major urban challenges the city is grappling with. Focus on one of these challenges and unpack it both in the city’s local context and the global context. Furthermore, identify a couple of key urban policy options that address the challenge and evaluate their merits and limitations. 

The assignment seeks to encourage students to (1) develop better knowledge of the various major challenges cities are facing, (2) use economic concepts and principles to analyze these challenges and policy options in relevant local and global contexts, (3) hone research and critical thinking skills, and (4) build teamwork through effective communication, idea sharing, consolidation of different perspectives, and accountability.

Requirements

Each group is required to 

1. Submit a one-page outline of the study plan by Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

The outline should (1) provide a brief introduction to the selected city and a synopsis of the urban challenge to be studied, (2) highlight the salient local and global contexts relevant to the issue, and (3) describe how the city is grappling with the challenge.

2. Make a group presentation of the study in class in weeks 12 and 13 (10 marks)

Each group should prepare a deck of slides for a 20-minute presentation. There will be 10 10-minute Q&A after each presentation. The presentation should cover the five sections of the main body of the final report described below. It is important that the whole presentation form a coherent narrative of the urban challenge and policy evaluation.

3. Submit a final report of the study by Monday, November 18, 2024 (30 marks)

The final report should consist of the following four parts:(1) A title page, including the study title, group number, the name and student ID of the group members.(2) An executive summary and a table indicating work distribution among the group members (1 page)(3) The main body of the report (no more than 20 pages), which should include: 
i) Introduction to the city and the urban challenge to be studied
ii) The local and global contexts and how they shape the unfolding of the urban challenge in question
iii) The impact of the challenge on urban resilience 
iv) Policy options and their merits and limitations in the local and global context
v) Conclusion(4) Appendix of additional tables and figures

The report will be graded based on (i) the adequacy of research about the urban issue and the relevant local and global contexts (ii) the coherence of analysis and reasoning based on economic concepts and principles, (iii) the originality and critical thinking, and (iv) the clarity of writing.

Students should adhere to NUS academic integrity guidelines and make sure no plagiarism occurs.