Urban Development
Urban development is the social, cultural, economic and physical development of cities, as well as the underlying causes of these processes.
Cities and their development is a central topic in human geography, and the study of cities makes up the sub-discipline of city geography or urbanism. However, it is not competely clear which social processes can be defined as urban. Urban lifestyles, practices and structures, "urban culture" and infrastructure for example, spread to other groups that do not live in what we traditionally call cities. However, it is necessary to define cities and processes of change in cities so that they can be investigated.
The term urban development is used differently depending upon which researcher uses it. Many researchers focus on the physical spatial development, such as architecture and city planning and the social and cultural processes underlying them. Other researchers start with social change, such as inequality or gentrification, in order to explain changes and discuss the social consequences. There exist a wide range of research topics.
Photo: Frank Paul Silye (© All rights reserved, Flickr)
Research Projects
- Nordic Welfare States and the Dynamics and Effects of Ethnic Residential Segregation, NORFACE (Terje Wessel i samarbeid med andre nordiske universiteter)
- Global Suburbanism (Per Gunnar Røe i samarbeid med bl.a. York University)
- “Green Oslo: Historical Developments and Future Prospects” (Per Gunnar Røe i samarbeid med ILOS)
Research fields within Urban Development
- The spatial side to inequality: Terje Wessel, Ingar Brattbakk
- Public policy on immigration, segregation and the housing market:Terje Wessel, Ingar Brattbakk
- City planning and urban development:Per Gunnar Røe
- Suburbanisation and its social and environmental consequences: Per Gunnar Røe
- The Oslo region: spatial and social development in Oslo's satellites: Per Gunnar Røe