Course information

In case a student selects to take this class, his goal will be to make himself familiar with important notions that urban geography studies. Such a notion is about urban problems related to urban development that is usually without a plan. Taking into account that a major topic related to urban space has to do with social and spatial morphologies, they are studied in detail. The second part of this module has to do with mobility aspects and the way mobility is expressed in urban space. Geography of the various means of transport in relation to urban form, the network theory and transport planning as well as accessibility are also studied. At this point, coursework that are conducted during the semester focus on investigating the spatial-social structure of cities.For instance, topics that may examined might be: the dynamics of land use formation, the significance of economic activities in land values in the formation of settlements and cities, the spread of incompatible uses and activities in residential areas as well as their relationship with pre-existing or non-existing degradation tendencies. Some main sections might be: Introduction (definition, method of study and basic concepts of Urban Geography), The residential network (1. Process of Urbanization, 2. Hierarchy of cities and areas of influence, 3. Interactions of cities, 4. Theory of the economic base and evolution of cities , 5. Urban Change and emerging urban forms), The City as a system (1. Urban Land Uses, 2. Land rent 3. Geographical distribution of commercial and secondary activities, 4. The boundary of the city and rural surroundings), Problems found in urban space (1 .Problems of housing in the city, 2. Social problems in the urban area), Transportation and Mobility within the city, European cities, Problems of the Greek urban space, Urban Governance.