About this course: Welcome to The City and You: Find Your Best Place. I'm excited to have you in the class and look forward to your contributions to the other learners in our community. This free course will provide the knowledge and the tools needed to understand what cities do, why they matter, the forces shaping the greatest wave of urbanization in history, and how to pick the right place for you. The course will also help you develop critical thinking skills. We'll accomplish this by providing evidence of the importance of cities, and why and how they matter to you. Then we’ll ask you to apply what you’ve learned in an exercise which will help you assess your own community and find your best place. This course is accessible and open to anyone who is interested in learning more about cities and the ways they affect our lives. It is organized around five key modules: (1) Why Cities Matter, (2) A World of Cities, (3) The Creative City, (4) The Divided City and the New Urban Crisis, and (5) How to Find the Best Place for You. After completing the course, you will be able to: (1) Identify why cities are the drivers of economic prosperity; (2) Explain the drivers and implications of fast-growing urbanization worldwide; (3) Outline the key characteristics of a creative and innovative city; (4) Describe the social divides and challenges facing cities and the solutions cities are using to address them; and (5) Recognize the trade-offs of staying in your current city versus moving, and identify the best place for you and your family to live. Good luck as you get started, and I hope you enjoy the course!
Who is this class for: This is class is for anyone who wants to better appreciate the trends shaping our cities and communities today and how the places we live shape our lives.
Created by: University of Toronto
Taught by: Richard Florida, University Professor and Director of Cities, University of Toronto
Martin Prosperity Institute, Rotman School of Management
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Why Cities Matter
This session will help you to understand the importance of cities to both the economy and society, and to you and your family. Today, more than three and a half billion people live in cities, more than half of the world's population. That figure is projected t...
5 videos, 6 readings
Graded: Pause and Reflect: Should You Stay or Move?
Graded: Why Cities Matter
WEEK 2
A World of Cities
Here are some key questions to think about and share your thoughts on based on the challenges and opportunities of global urbanization in global cities. Global urbanization has the power to lift living standards, create economic opportunity and jobs, reduce po...
4 videos, 6 readings
Graded: Pause and Reflect: Tell Us about Your Global City
Graded: A World of Cities
WEEK 3
The Creative City
Here are some key questions about creative cities, both historically and in our contemporary time. Cities have been the fonts of creativity since the dawn of civilization. The clustering of creative people in them and the diversity they bring is what drives ke...
4 videos, 5 readings
Graded: Pause and Reflect: Your Creative City
Graded: On the Creative City
WEEK 4
The Divided City and the New Urban Crisis
Here are some key questions about the challenges of gentrification, inequality, and housing affordability facing cities today. This session will help you better understand the New Urban Crisis and the growing economic divides that challenge cities today. In th...
3 videos, 6 readings
Graded: Pause and Reflect: The Divides and Challenges of Your City
Graded: The Divided City
WEEK 5
How to Find the Place That Is Best for You
In this forum, we want you to think about, discuss, and share ideas on how to find the best place (city and neighborhood) for you and for your family. This session will help you understand the importance of where you live to your life and career. We each make...
3 videos, 4 readings
Graded: Find the Best Place for You - Capstone Activity
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