Research Paper Due Tuesday, 12/18

As you know, your final research papers are due in class on Tuesday. If for some reason you can't make it to class, you MUST contact me BEFOREHAND to make arrangements to drop off the paper. I will not be able to accept late papers.

We'll have a short wrap-up discussion on Tuesday as well. See you all then.

Guest Speakers for Tues & Thurs, 12/11 & 13

This week we turn our attention to the final of our three case studies: Mayor Bloomberg's Congestion Pricing Plan (part of his broader environmental plan, which you are also free to write about in your research paper). I've lined up two guest speakers for us, each of which will advocate for or against the plan.

On Tuesday, Jonathan Judge will join us to argue against the plan. Judge is the creator of the website, Stop NYC Congestion Tax.org, and spoke against the tax recently at the NYC Metropolitan Republican Club.

On Thursday, we'll be joined by Wiley Norvell, Communications Director for Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit group that promotes public transport and a reduction in cars on NYC roadways. Norvell will present the case for the congestion pricing plan.

Please be ON TIME for both speakers. Also, please review their websites and get a sense of where they stand on the issue (as well as your own stance on the issue).

Guest Speaker on Thursday, 12/6

On Thursday we'll have a visit from David Gillcrist, Acting Executive Director of Project Find, an organization that attempts to find affordable housing for Manhattan seniors. Please review the Project Find website and bring your questions. (And please be on time for class!)

Assignment for Tuesday, 12/4

For Tuesday, read Housing First!'s platform for New York State, available here. You should pay particular attention to their ideas for New York City. Feel free to summarize. (This could be your last chance for a summary.)

Assignment for Thursday, 11/29

Read the description of New York City's Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS), posted on the website of NYC's Office of Emergency Management. Read the overview, as well as the four links at the bottom of the overview page:

• Primary Agency Matrix
• General ICS Organization Structure
• Core Competencies
• OEM's CIMS Responsibilities

Feel free to write a single summary about the entire CIMS program, based on these five webpages. We'll discuss this, and other aspects of NYC's terror policies, on Thursday.

Assignment for Tuesday, 11/27

For the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, we will start looking at our first case study: NYC policing and anti-terror policies. As we've discussed, we will take a field trip into our local neighborhood, guided by Bill Brown of the Surveillance Camera Players. You have two choices for meeting up with the class:

• Meet us in the classroom (Main 606) at 5:50pm SHARP - do NOT be late, please.
• Meet us on the SE corner of 72nd St. and 3rd Avenue at 6pm SHARP - do NOT be late, as we may take off without you.

(If you're unexpectedly delayed and you want to try to catch up with us, you can reach me on my cell phone at 917-415-8284.)

Final Exam - Tuesday, November 20

Your final exam will be given in class on Tuesday, November 20. The exam will consist of two essay questions. You will be randomly assigned two of the following four questions:

1. Why are cities prone to periodic fiscal crises? How can cities avoid them?
2. Did Rudy Giuliani govern New York City using the principles of the New Public Management (NPM)? What can Guiliani’s tenure tell us about the overall success of NPM?
3. How has federal policymaking affected American cities? Are cities hurt or helped by these policies?
4. Are regional governing bodies the answer to the problems of urban governance?

(Check my posting on the mid-term exam for reminders about what I look for in exams.)

You'll have the full class period--80 minutes--to complete your exam. Please note that as with the mid-term, you are allowed to bring ONE 3x5" index card to the exam. You can write whatever you would like on this card, on either side, using however small a font as you'd like - WITHIN REASON. Do NOT try to use 5-pt font to squeeze in every possible word you can; do NOT simply try to write out your essay, and then copy it into your exam book. You will have to submit your card with your exam, and I will not give credit for answers that are chiefly copied off of your card.

Good luck!