Comparing Metropolitan Regions (five-day lesson)
Overview
In this five-day lesson, students will engage in an inquiry that compares and contrasts urban growth in Phoenix, Arizona, the Bay Area, California, and Calgary, Alberta. Students will compare the metropolitan regions in terms of patterns of settlement, commute times, density, employment, and new housing. On the final day of the lesson, students will engage in a role-play where they propose and defend various policies that address the problems of urban growth.
Learning Goals:
- Students compare and contrast urban growth in three metropolitan regions.
- Students will learn that despite broad similarities, each metropolitan region is a product of its particular history, policies, and industries.
- Students will propose and defend potential solutions to the challenges of urban growth.
- Students will understand that there are multiple perspectives on the problems and solutions to urban growth.
DAY ONE
Website Materials:
Step 1: 10 minutes: Introduction
Divide students into 4 groups and introduce the lesson:
"Urban growth is a phenomenon affecting many metropolitan regions in the West. What it means is that what used to be central, contained cities, are now spreading out further and further, and its becoming more and more difficult to determine where the city really begins and ends. More and more houses and developments are being built on the outskirts of the metropolitan region, often on undeveloped land. Over the next 5 days, you will be gathering information about urban growth in three metropolitan regions: Phoenix, the Bay Area, and Calgary.
Each day you will receive a packet of information about a given metropolitan region. In your group, you have to keep track of the following information for each region:
- Why is the metropolitan region expanding?
- Who is moving to the urban fringe?
- Where are the employment opportunities in this region?
- What is the effect of growth on the land?
Today, we will begin with an investigation of Phoenix, Arizona."
Step 2: 35 minutes: Read documents
a) Hand out packet of 5 Phoenix documents, listed above.
b) In groups, students should examine the documents and answer the four guiding questions.
Step 3: 5 minutes: Review answers
Review and discuss student answers. Identify major patterns in Phoenix's growth.
DAY TWO
Website Materials:
- "New Housing"
- "Traffic"
- "Cresmont"
- "Grasslands"
- "Calgary Wetlands"
Step 1: 5 minutes: Review and begin Calgary investigation
a) Students should sit in their same groups as yesterday.
b) Point out Calgary, Alberta on a map. Explain that cities in Canada are experiencing many of the same trends as those in the United States.
c) Pass out Calgary packet with 5 documents, listed above. Review guiding questions with students:
- Why is the metropolitan region expanding?
- Who is moving to the urban fringe?
- Where are the employment opportunities in this region?
- What is the effect of growth on the land?
Step 2: 35 minutes: Read documents
In groups, students should examine the documents and answer the four guiding questions.
Step 3: 10 minutes: Review answers
Review and discuss student answers. Begin to identify similarities and differences between Phoenix and Calgary.
DAY THREE
Website Materials:
Step 1: 5 minutes: Review and begin Bay Area investigation
a) Students should sit in their same groups as yesterday.
b) Point out Bay Area, California on a map. Explain that the Bay Area is the trickiest region of the three because it consists of nine counties and three major cities.
c) Pass out Bay Area packet with 6 documents, listed above. Review guiding questions with students:
- Why is the metropolitan region expanding?
- Who is moving to the urban fringe?
- Where are the employment opportunities in this region?
- What is the effect of growth on the land?
Step 2: 35 minutes: Read documents
In groups, students should examine the documents and answer the four guiding questions.
Step 3: 10 minutes: Review answers
Review and discuss student answers. Begin to identify similarities and differences between Phoenix and Calgary and Bay Area.
DAY FOUR
Materials:
- All the worksheets distributed in previous 3 days.
- Poster boards and markers.
Step 1: 5 minutes: Introduction
Explain to students that, in groups, they must produce a poster that explains the similarities and differences between the three metropolitan regions they've examined in terms of patterns and consequences of urban growth. They may design the poster in any way they wish, but they must include the following information:
- Similarities and differences with regard to the four guiding questions.
- At least 3 direct quotes from each packet of worksheets.
Step 2: 45 minutes: Make Posters
Students make posters.
DAY 5
Step 1: 5 minutes: Introduction
a) Explain to students that today they will partake in a role-play whereby they have to propose a solution to urban growth.
b) Assign each of the four groups one of the following roles: a) City Planner; b) Median-Income Home-Buyer; c) Environmentalist; d) Real Estate Developer
Step 2: 10 minutes: Getting into role
In groups, students must figure out how they feel about urban growth, based on their assigned role. Encourage students to refer to the worksheets and poster to help them determine their perspective on urban growth.
Step 3: 20 minutes: Propose Policy
Still in groups, have students propose a policy solution to manage urban growth. They should choose one of the following policy options and support their proposal with evidence. They may choose to target a specific metropolitan region in their proposal, but this is not yet required.
- Policy Option 1: Urban Growth Boundaries: The city should pass legislation to prevent development beyond a certain border.
Pros: Environmental preservation, high density growth
Cons: Increase price of housing
- Policy Option 2: Infill Programs: The city should create incentives for developers to build houses in existing empty lots.
Pros: Environmental preservations, High-density growth
Cons: Not as much space to build new housing; Not attractive option for developers
- Policy Option 3: Development Impact Fees: The city should charge developers for the cost of expanding city resources.
Pros: Increase revenue for city, new housing
Cons: Not attractive option for developers; Increased cost may be passed onto buyer
- Policy Option 4: Design your own policy
- Policy Option 5: Don’t do anything. Expansion is inevitable and good for the economy.
Step 4: 15 minutes: Presentations
Town meeting simulation: Each group presents a policy proposal to help metropolitan regions manage growth.
Homework
Students must write up their policy proposal for homework. In doing so, they must address their policy to a specific metropolitan region (i.e., Phoenix, Bay Area, or Calgary). Written proposals must address the following questions:
- What specific problems does the policy address?
- Who would support the policy and why?
- Who would oppose the policy and why?
- What are some drawbacks or issues that the policy doesn’t address?
- Why do you think the policy is good for metropolitan region ______?
