Urban Geography is a compulsory course in the third year with a workload of 6 ECTS. It falls within the Fundamentals of Geography module and is essential for understanding the city. It is taught in the first semester, and it is advisable to have completed courses in population geography and economic geography. Basic knowledge of GIS handling is also recommended. As a further exploration of this subject, students will take the Urban Planning course in the second semester.



This course introduces the city with the aim of studying its particularities and complexity. Its analysis will be conducted from a geographical perspective: starting from basic concepts and processes related to space, different theories will be studied, and some techniques that have been or are being used to interpret and understand urban space and the complex reality of the urban phenomenon will be put into practice. The city will be analyzed both in its interior space and as a component of a broader system.



The usefulness of the course primarily lies in acquiring the necessary knowledge to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of urban spaces, which has clear applications in urban planning studies and territorial planning. It also allows understanding the social, economic, and environmental processes related to the urban phenomenon, thus potentially contributing to future employment in consulting firms, public administrations, or organizations working in the field of urban policies and local management.

CORE AND GENERAL COMPETENCIES OF THE DEGREE DEVELOPED IN THIS COURSE

(according to the Verified Memory of the Study Plan, latest version):



CB2: Students will be able to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and possess the competencies usually demonstrated through the development and defense of arguments and problem-solving within their area of study.

CB3: Students will have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (typically within their field of study) to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific, or ethical issues.

CB4: Students will be able to convey information, ideas, problems, and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences.

CB5: Students will have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.

G004: Understand, comprehend, and interpret the territory and interrelate the physical environment with the social and human sphere.

G005: Explain the diversity of places, regions, and locations and understand spatial relationships and processes. Interrelate phenomena at different territorial scales.

G006: Use geographic information as a means for the description, analysis, and interpretation and planning of the territory. Express information cartographically, develop and interpret statistical information. Use of ICTs in the analysis and communication of research results.



SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:



COMPETENCY 1: Through the sectoral specializations of geography, students will acquire an understanding of the various aspects contributing to the differentiation of territories and will be able to make descriptive and prescriptive judgments (Competency M03CM03 of the module).

COMPETENCY 2: Students will develop a critical vision of the concepts used in the analysis of regions, which have been developed in independent disciplines (Competency M03CM05 of the module).

COMPETENCY 3: Students will be able to use the techniques of documentation, data collection, analysis, and methodologies specific to these disciplines (Competency M03CM06 of the module).



TRANSVERSAL COMPETENCY:



The course will also address the transversal competency of Written Expression (CT2, linked to competency G002 of the degree) to achieve a level of mastery of type 3. Therefore, students should be able to "be convincing through written communication, demonstrating a style of organization and expression of the content of long and complex writings" after completing the course. This competency will be specifically assessed through the proposed practical work.



LEARNING RESULTS:



By the end of the course, to pass the subject, students must demonstrate mastery of the following aspects:



LEARNING RESULT 1: Students are familiar with the sources of the study of urban geography.

LEARNING RESULT 2: Students are familiar with the main principles and theories surrounding the city and can use them critically.

LEARNING RESULT 3: Students are familiar with and critically use various techniques for analyzing the internal space of the city, metropolitan areas, regional systems of cities, and urban hierarchies at different scales.

The theoretical contents are organized into the following eight topics, which will be developed in the student guide:



TOPIC 1: Introduction to Urban Geography.

TOPIC 2: The Study of Urban Morphology.

TOPIC 3: Urban Image and Perception of the City.

TOPIC 4: The Social Structure of the City.

TOPIC 5: Urban Functions and the Internal Structure of the City.

TOPIC 6: The Functional Specialization of Cities and the Classification of Urban Centers.

TOPIC 7: Urban Networks. Graph Theory.

TOPIC 8: Current Dynamics of Cities and Urban Systems.



Regarding practical contents, the following aspects will be addressed:

- Analysis of urban morphology through plans.

- Calculation and interpretation of segregation indices.

- Development of mental maps of urban spaces.

- Calculation of indicators for the analysis of the functional specialization of cities (location coefficients, Nelson index, Christaller index, etc.).

- Study of the hierarchy of cities through the application of the rank-size rule and the primacy index.

- Study of the distribution of the urban network through the calculation of the Clark-Evans index.

- Analysis of city network topologies and application of graph theory to the study of urban networks.

The teaching team will combine expository lectures, where theoretical contents will be explained in detail, with active methodologies in which students, in a more autonomous and participative manner, will have to carry out a series of tasks (case studies, collaborative work, problem-solving exercises, etc.). Additionally, a field trip will be conducted, which will lead to a practice based on a Case Study.



The course is worth 6 credits, thus representing a workload of 150 hours for students, estimated as follows:



- Face-to-face activities: expository lectures, field trip (lasting eight hours), and completion of tasks in class (collaborative practices, exercises, problem-solving, case studies, etc.) to achieve the objectives of the course. During these hours, theoretical explanations will be interspersed with practical activities.



- Non-face-to-face activities: aimed at enabling students to autonomously work on the competencies and contents of the course. For this purpose, two assignments will be proposed throughout the course. These are supervised assignments, for which guidelines for their completion will be provided, and different deliverables must be submitted via the eGela platform on specified dates.

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 50
  • Individual works (%): 30
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 20

Continuous assessment is proposed as the preferred option in this course.



CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT



Students who choose the continuous assessment system will be graded as follows: 50% of the final grade will be assessed through both individual and cooperative assignments, as well as in-class exercises. The remaining 50% will be evaluated through a final assessment exam. Non-attendance at the final exam implies explicit waiver of the current assessment opportunity. To pass the course, a minimum average grade of five points will be required, and in order to calculate the average between practical assignments and the exam, a minimum grade of four points out of ten will be required in both parts. The submission of all assignments is mandatory. Engaging in dishonest practices or plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course.



INSTRUMENTS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA:



Assignments and practical work: teamwork skills, use of bibliographic sources, effort, proficiency in ICT, accuracy in the use of geographical terms, problem-solving, cartographic skills, application of methods and techniques specific to urban geography, written expression (spelling and syntax).



Theoretical-practical exam: ability to explain and relate various geographical facts, argumentation and reasoning, correctness in written expression.



FINAL EVALUATION



In any case, students have the right to be evaluated through the final assessment system, regardless of whether they have participated in the continuous assessment system or not. In this case, the exam will be different from the one established for the continuous assessment system, in order to also assess the learning outcomes achieved through the completion of tasks and practical work. To choose the final assessment system, students must submit a written waiver to the course instructor renouncing continuous assessment, within a period of 9 weeks from the beginning of the semester (Regulations governing student assessment in official Bachelor's degree programs, article 8).



WITHDRAWAL FROM CURRENT ASSESSMENT



Additionally, renouncing the assessment opportunity will result in being marked as "not present." Since the weight of the exam exceeds 40% of the final grade (in both the continuous and final assessment systems), this waiver is exercised by not attending the exam.

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT



Students who opt for the continuous assessment system will be graded as follows: 50% of the final grade will be determined through individual and cooperative assignments, while the other 50% will be based on a final assessment exam. It is mandatory to submit all assignments in order to take the final exam; non-attendance at the final exam implies explicit waiver of the current assessment opportunity. To pass the course, a minimum average grade of five points will be required, and to calculate this average between practical assignments and the exam, a minimum of four points out of ten will be required in both parts. The submission of all assignments is mandatory, and any dishonest practices or plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course. In any case, if a student fails the 1st assessment opportunity and does not wish to retain the grade obtained in either the practical or theoretical part, they may waive this by sending a written request to the instructor at least 7 days before the date of the resit exam. They will indicate their waiver of the grades obtained in the continuous assessment and express their desire to take a final exam that will allow them to obtain 100% of the course grade.



FINAL EVALUATION



This exam will be different from the one taken by those under continuous assessment, as it will also evaluate the competencies acquired through the assignments.



WITHDRAWAL FROM CURRENT ASSESSMENT



If a student does not attend the exam, it is understood that they are waiving the current assessment opportunity and will appear as "Not Present" in the grade record.

Materials deposited in eGela (updated annually).
Choice between QGIS or ArcGIS.
Geosegregation Analyzer.

Basic bibliography

Brenner, N. (2019). New Urban Spaces: Urban Theory and the Scale Question. Oxford University Press.

Brenner, N. (2017). La Era de la Urbanización. En: Sevilla, A. (2019). Neil Brenner: Teoría Urbana Crítica y Políticas de Escala. Icaria.

Capel, H. (1975). La Definición de lo Urbano. Estudios Geográficos, 138(139), 265-301.

Harvey, D. (1996). Cities or Urbanization? City, 1(1-2) 38-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/13604819608900022

Harvey, D. (2019). El Espacio como Palabra Clave. En: Benach y Albet (2019). David Harvey: La Lógica Geográfica del Capitalismo. Icaria.

Jacobs, J. (2011). Muerte y Vida de las Grandes Ciudades Americanas. Capitán Swing Libros.

Knox, P., & Pinch, S. (2010). Urban Social Geography: An Introduction (6th ed.). Pearson.

Lefebvre, H. (2013). La Producción del Espacio. Capitán Swing.

Lois González, R.C. (Coord.), González Pérez, J.M., Escudero Gómez, L.A. (2013). Los Espacios Urbanos: El Estudio Geográfico de la Ciudad y la Urbanización. Biblioteca Nueva.

Massey, D. (2005). For Space. SAGE.

Pacione, M. (2013). Urban Geography: A Global Perspective. Routledge.

Sevilla, A. (2017). Nuevos Horizontes: Hacia una Investigación de la Urbanización Planetaria. En: Sevilla, A. (2019). Neil Brenner: Teoría Urbana Crítica y Políticas de Escala. Icaria.

Zárate Martín, M. A. (2012). Geografía Urbana: Dinámicas Locales, Procesos Globales. Universitaria Ramón Areces.

In-depth bibliography

Borja, J., & Castells, M. (1997). Local y Global: La Gestión de las Ciudades en la Era de la Información. Taurus.
Capel, H. (2005). La Morfología de las Ciudades: Sociedad, Cultura y Paisaje Urbano. Ediciones del Serbal.
Clark, D. (2003). Urban World / Global City. Routledge.
Delgado Viñas, C., Juaristi Linacero, J., & Tome Fernández, S. (2012). Ciudades y Paisajes Urbanos en el Siglo XXI. Estudio Ediciones.
Girardet, H. (1992). Ciudades: Alternativas para una Vida Urbana Sostenible. Celeste Ediciones.
Hernando, A. (1983). Hacia un Mundo de Ciudades: El Proceso de Urbanización. Cincel.
Herrera, F. (1998). El Sistema de Ciudades en Europa y España: Desarrollo Urbano y Estrategia de Política Territorial. Alfa Delta.
Jones, E. (1990). Metropolis. Alianza Editorial.
King, A.D. (1990). Global Cities. Routledge.
López García, J. (1987). Geografía Humana y Económica: Geografía Urbana. Akal.
Lynch, K. (1998 {1960}). La Imagen de la Ciudad (7ª ed.). Gustavo Gili.
Nel·lo i Colom, O. (2021). Efecto Barrio: Segregación Residencial, Desigualdad Social y Políticas Urbanas en las Grandes Ciudades. Tirant Humanidades.
Oliveira, V. (2016). Urban Morphology: An Introduction to the Study of the Physical Form of Cities. Springer.
Precedo Ledo, A. (1996). Ciudad y Desarrollo Urbano. Síntesis.
Precedo Ledo, A. (1988). La Red Urbana. Editorial Síntesis.
Sassen, S. (2001). The Global City. Princeton University Press.
Smith, N. (1996). The New Urban Frontier: Gentrification and the Revanchist City. Routledge.
VV.AA. (2015). El Mercado Contra la Ciudad. Traficantes de Sueños.
Zárate Martín, M. A. (1991). El Espacio Interior de la Ciudad. Ed. Síntesis.

Journals

ACE. Architecture, City and Environment: http://www-cpsv.upc.es/ace/
Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles: https://bage.age-geografia.es/ojs/index.php/bage
Ciudad y Territorio. Estudios Territoriales: https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/CyTET
Ciudades. Revista del Instituto de Urbanística de la Universidad de Valladolid: http://www3.uva.es/iuu
Cuadernos de Investigación Urbanística: http://www.aq.upm.es/Departamentos/Urbanismo/publicaciones/ciur.html
Eure: http://www.scielo.cl/eure.htm
Lurralde: http://www.ingeba.euskalnet.net/lurralde/
Perspectivas urbanas: http://www.etsav.upc.es/urbpersp
Práctica Urbanística: http://practicaurbanistica.laley.es
Proyecto y Ciudad: http://www.proyectoyciudad.es/
Revista urbana: http://www2.scielo.org.ve/scielo.php?script=sci_issuetoc&pid=0798-052320020001&lng=es&nrm=is
Scripta Nova. Revista electrónica de geografía y ciencias sociales: https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/scriptanova
URBAN. Revista del Departamento de Urbanística y Ordenación del Territorio: http://www.aq.upm.es/Departamentos/Urbanismo/publicaciones/urban.html

Web addresses

City Form Lab: http://cityform.mit.edu/projects/urban-network-analysis.html
Ciudades para un futuro más sostenible: http://habitat.aq.upm.es/
Globalization and World Cities Research Network: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/
SIOSE: http://www.siose.es/
SIU: https://www.mitma.gob.es/portal-del-suelo-y-politicas-urbanas/sistema-de-informacion-urbana/sistema-deinformacion-urbana-siu
The Principal Agglomerations of the World: http://www.citypopulation.de/world/Agglomerations.html
Udalmap: https://www.euskadi.eus/indicadores-municipales/web01-a2ogaeko/es/
UN-HABITAT: http://unhabitat.org/
Urban Atlas: http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/urban-atlas
Urban Data Platform Plus: https://urban.jrc.ec.europa.eu/#/en
Urban Planet: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2006/urbanisation/
World Bank - Urban Development: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment
World urbanization prospect: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/
World City Population: http://luminocity3d.org/WorldCity/#3/35.96/-42.45