Wicked urban problems are all around us

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Wicked urban problems are all around us. They also appear in the news…often surrounded by controversy. Case studies of such wicked problems help illustrate the politically-charged interface between government and private stakeholders in urban planning. This assignment requires you to conduct an analysis of the news to identify examples of “wicked” urban problems that are making headlines. You will identify a case study that illustrates the highly political and controversial “wicked” nature of urban planning?

Search the news for articles addressing urban issues that fit the four criteria for “wicked” problems discussed in class. Your task for this assignment is to identify a real-life urban planning case study that illustrates the political, and often controversial, nature of the planning process. Case studies can be local or in another city, can relate to any of the functional areas of planning (e.g. transportation, housing, economic development, environmental planning, etc.), and may be project-specific or focused on larger comprehensive planning activities. Pick a case study for which you can find adequate details and information about the planning problem being addressed. You must find a minimum of three sources of information about your case study. All sources must be properly cited and referenced.

Write an essay that clearly addresses the following for the wicked problem you identified:

--Explain the background of the urban planning case study being addressed

--Discuss why the problem is a “wicked” one:

--Why is the problem itself difficult to define?

--Why are the causes of the problem uncertain?

--Why is there no obvious solution?

--How is the problem linked to other problems?

--Discuss the public sector and private sector participants and stakeholders involved in the case, and how

conflicting values and issues of power contribute to the controversy