Please choose ONE of the following topics and write an essay of up to 2,500 words, illustrating your arguments with one (or more) example(s) from London. This essay is to show that you understand why and how particular social- spatial processes operate and what are the impacts of social-spatial trends and public policies on neighborhood and cities and what planners can do about such trends.DisCuss and illustrate your arguments with one or more cases and examples. (E.g. Project, policies, neighborhoods or social groups.)the specific criteria for this essay are:• Sound knowledge of the economic, demographic, social, cultural and political factors shaping contemporary cities and understanding of the processes of socio-spatial change affecting them;• Sound and critical understanding of the relevant concepts and theories in urban sociology and ability to analyse them with reference to a case-study city;• Ability to critically evaluate the socio-spatial impacts of planning interventions and urban policies from an urban sociological / social equity perspective;• Capacity to collect basic primary and secondary materials; capacity to identify and synthesize the relevant academic literature;• Analytical writing skills: capacity to write in a clear, structured and conceptually informed manner with a clear line of argumentThis is a sample of key textbooks in urban sociology and urban geography. A more detailed thematic bibliography will be posted on Moodle at the beginning of the module with key readings for each essay topic.• Abrahamson, M. (2013) Urban Sociology: A Global Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.• Bridge, G. and Watson, G. (eds) (2010) The Blackwell City Reader, 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell-Wiley.• Cochrane, A. (2007) Understanding Urban Policy. A critical approach. Oxford: Blackwell.• Fincher, R. and Iveson, K. (2008) Planning and Diversity in the City. Redistribution, Recognition and Encounter, Basingtoke: Palgrave.• Gottdiener, M. Hutchison, R. and Ryan, M. T. (2014) The New Urban Sociology, 5th ed.,• Boulder: Westview Press. [very US focused but good historical chapters on the evolution of the discipline]• Hall, T. and Barrett, H. (2011) Urban Geography (new edition). London: Routledge.• Hall, T., Hubbard, P., and Short, J.R. (eds) (2008) The SAGE Companion to the City, London: Sage.• Hamnett, C. (2003) Unequal city: London in the global arena, London: Routledge. [a bit dated in terms of statistical data, but a good background reading on the socio-spatial structure of London]• Hutchinson, R. (ed.) (2010) Encyclopaedia of Urban Studies, London: Sage [short entries for key concepts in urban sociology and urban studies].• Jonas, A.E.G., McCann, E. and Thomas, M. (2015) Urban Geography: A Critical Introduction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.• Kazepov, Y. (ed.) (2005) Cities of Europe, Oxford: Blackwell.• Knox, P. and Inch, S. (2009) Urban social geography: an introduction, 6th ed., Harlow: Pearson Prentice Hall.• Latham, A. et al. (2009) Key Concepts in Urban Geography, London: Sage.• Le Galès, P. (2002) European cities, Oxford: Oxford University Press.• LeGates, R. T. and Stout, F. (eds) (2011) The City Reader, 5th ed. London; New York: Routledge.• Lin, J. and Mele, C. (eds) (2012) The Urban Sociology Reader, 2nd ed. London, New York: Routledge.• Pacione, M. (2009) Urban geography: a global perspective, 3rd ed., London: Routledge.• Paddison, R. and McCann, E. (2014) Cities and Social Change. Encounters with Contemporary Urbanism. London: Sage.• Parker, S. (2010) Cities, Politics & Power, London, New York: Routledge.• Savage, M. and Warde, A. (2003) Urban sociology, capitalism and modernity, 2nd ed., Basingtoke: Macmillan.
