General Information
Target Audience
The class is designed for MBA candidates who are pursuing careers in corporate management and strategy, consulting, finance, real estate, and economic and urban development who need to understand how companies can make better location decisions and better engage their communities. It will also help students understand and develop strategies for their own location decisions.
Format
This course will run as an intensive meeting five hours a day for five straight days. It will be organized around an inverted classroom method, which has been shown to generate much better learning outcomes. I will open class with a short lecture to frame the issues we are covering. This will not be a lecture format class. We will give you videos of me and readings of my work so that you understand my perspective. We will use class to learn about the material together through a combination of in-class discussion, group activities, and guests. It has also been shown that we learn best not through lecturing at you or regurgitation of concepts, but through emotional attachment to the material and subjects. A goal of this course will be to help ignite your own passion for location, urban development, urbanism and cities.
- 5 Class Sessions: July 18-22, 2022 from 9:30-15:00: These sessions will feature a mix of lecture, class discussion, group activities, and guests.
Course Mission
This course will provide you with deeper understanding of the role of location decisions in business performance and it will equip you with the knowledge and understanding you need to make better, more informed location decisions for yourself and your family.
Cities are the key engines of economic growth. Clusters of people and companies are key to innovation and productivity. Where a firm locates – and where you locate – is key to economic success. In fact, location decisions are perhaps the central dimension of corporate strategy. They are among the most expensive decisions a company makes and they are hard to reverse. Where you choose to live and work will also have enormous impact on your career choices and mobility, your personal and professional networks, the people you meet, and the opportunities for you and your family.
Course Scope
The course is designed to impart a basic understanding of the role of location and community engagement in corporate strategy, and give students the tools to make better location decisions for themselves and their families. Its scope in includes three main objectives:
- To help students better understand the importance of location and community engagement as key components of corporate strategy and performance;
- To help students understand how to make better location decisions for themselves, their careers, and their families; and
- To help students better understand what cities and other levels of government can do to spur economic development.
Evaluation and Grade Distribution
| Component | Grading Basis | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Individual | 15% |
| In-Class Group Activities | Group | 30% |
| Assignment 1 | Individual | 25% |
| Assignment 2 | Individual | 30% |
Required Resources
Students will read parts of three of my books, The Rise of the Creative Class, Who’s Your City?, and The New Urban Crisis. In addition, we will focus on core readings, videos and podcasts. We have also provided supplemental readings and materials for those who want to dig deeper into course themes. Everything will be available online.
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