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455---Fall AREC 2008 The Economics of Land Use Instructor: Professor Lori Lynch, Agricultural and Resource Economics Office: 2117 Symons Hall Phone: 301-405-1264 Email: llynch@arec.umd.edu Office Hours: After class or by appointment (call or email me) Class Meeting Time and Place Tuesday and Thursday: 11:00 am - 12:15 pm Symons Hall 0215 Course Content: This class is focused on Land Use as a subsection of Natural Resource Economics with particular emphasis on Maryland issues. The course covers the following topics: A. B. C. D. Fundamentals of location theory why economic activity occurs where it does; The microeconomics of land use decisions, including rents and hedonic pricing models; The effects of the regional economy on land use; Impacts of government decisions on land use such as regulation (e.g., zoning) and provision of public services; E. Urban sprawl, agricultural land preservation and the changing pattern of land use. In addition, you will learn the basic skills needed for Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In particular you will learn how to extract data and create maps in ArcMap. This will assist you in completing your homework and paper assignments. Prerequisites: Intermediate microeconomics (ECON 306 or equivalent) Calculus (MATH 220 or equivalent) Readings: Handouts & Readings will be assigned throughout the semester related to each topic area. These readings are almost all available on the web or through the research portal at the library; www.lib.umd.edu, using the Econlit/EBSCO database. Others will be provided in class. Optional but helpful if you want more background information: Arthur O Sullivan, Urban Economics, Fifth Edition, Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2002 Grading Grades will be determined by your performance on exams, paper, and homework problem sets as well as attendance, quizzes, and class participation. 50 % total Two exams during the semester (15% each) and the final exam (20%). The final will be comprehensive but that will allow those of you with borderline grades to have a chance at getting the better grade. In-class quizzes that will be given weekly throughout the semester. Short homework assignments on economic concepts discussed in class and on data compilation using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will be given throughout the semester; 10% total 20% total 20% total Each student is expected to write an analytical report (policy paper). The policy paper involves collecting and analyzing information on land use issues for a particular county in Maryland. Each student will be responsible for a different county. You get to choose which one you would like to work on. Sections of the paper will be due throughout the semester. These will be graded and comments will be provided on things you might add or change to improve the paper. These sections will be returned to assist you to complete a polished final paper. Five percent of the final grade will be how well you incorporate the comments into the final product. You want to ensure you take these comments into account when finishing the final paper. you If want to work on GIS assignments for homework and your paper at home, you need to bring a USB key with you on the first GIS lab session (Oct. 14) to copy your data. Extra Credit: Presenting one of the readings to the class and preparing a 1-2 page outline will give a student extra credit which could change the grade from a B to a B+ for example. In addition, if you read the article well enough to talk about it, you ll probably be able to answer questions about it on an exam or homework. Disability: If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations with me, please contact me as soon as possible. Honor Pledge: The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. The pledge was adopted by the University Senate on April 9, 2001, and approved by the President on May 10, 2001. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student, you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.shc.umd.edu. The Honor Pledge is a statement your will be asked to write by hand and sign on examinations, papers, or other academic assignments. The Pledge reads: I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination. I am adding this definition of plagiarism to ensure you understand what constitutes a plagiarism violation of the honor code. Plagiarism (http://www.jpo.umd.edu/SHC/whatis.html#plagiarism) "Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or areas of another as one's own in academic exercise." Information that is obtained in one's reading or research, which is not common knowledge among students in the course, must be acknowledged. o Direct Quotation: Every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by appropriate indentation and must be promptly cited in a footnote. (The MLA Style Sheet and K.L. Turabian's Manual outline proper footnote style for many academic departments.) Paraphrase: Immediate acknowledgement is required when material from another source is paraphrased or summarized, in whole or part, in your own words. Paraphrasing is not reordering words in a sentence. o Textbooks and handouts are not considered common knowledge these need to be cited or directly quoted Materials that contribute only to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography and need not be immediately footnoted. Please do not just copy from the county s zoning and planning binders. Plagiarism will result in a zero for the paper or assignment. In addition, it will be reported to the student honor committee. You need to explain the county s land use policy in your own words or use quotations and include page numbers.

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