Important notice
The course guide is provisional.
The PDF version of the course guide may take a few days to become available in the DDD.
Local and Regional Development
Code: 44465Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Territorial Studies and Planning | OP | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- María Antonia Casellas Puigdemasa
- Email :
- antonia.casellas@uab.cat
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
None of specific.
Objectives
The objective of this module is to deepen students’ understanding of the dynamics of local and regional development, with particular attention to processes of territorial growth, transformation, and decline. The course examines the economic, social, political, and institutional factors that shape territorial development trajectories, as well as their implications in terms of inequality, sustainability, and collective well-being.
These issues are addressed within the context of the profound transformations affecting local and regional economies, including productive restructuring, accelerated technological change, market globalization, and the growing tensions between the objectives of economic growth, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability. The analysis of these processes is conducted from a critical perspective, aimed at identifying the power relations, conflicts of interest, and inequalities that underpin territorial development. In addition, a gender perspective is incorporated throughout the course to examine how economic and territorial dynamics affect women and men differently, and how development policies may contribute to either reproducing or reducing such inequalities.
Classes will be organized in a seminar and discussion-based format. Students are therefore expected to complete the assigned readings in advance and participate actively in class discussions, contributing to a critical and collective reflection on the topics addressed.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will have acquired knowledge and analytical skills in the following areas:
- The main theories of local and regional development that explain the location of economic activities and the processes of territorial growth, transformation, and decline, critically assessing their assumptions, contributions, and limitations.
- The economic, social, territorial, and environmental impacts of local and regional development, with particular attention to the unequal distribution of benefits and costs across territories, social groups, and genders.
- Public policies and governance strategies aim at promoting local and regional economic development, critically evaluating their objectives, instruments, and outcomes.
- The strengths and limitations of alternative models of development and economic viability, particularly those oriented towards sustainability, social justice, gender equity, and territorial resilience.
Learning outcomes
- CA04 (Demonstrate the multidimensional nature of territorial and urban analysis through local and territorial development models that incorporate proposals for the environmental, economic, social and political systems.) Demonstrate the multidimensional nature of territorial and urban analysis through local and territorial development models that incorporate proposals for the environmental, economic, social and political systems.
- CA05 (Collaborate as part of multidisciplinary teams and analyse and interpret territorial conflict, providing responses and management mechanisms.) Collaborate as part of multidisciplinary teams and analyse and interpret territorial conflict, providing responses and management mechanisms.
- CA06 (Organise development proposals that rebalance territories both socially and economically and on several scales.) Organise development proposals that rebalance territories both socially and economically and on several scales.
- KA04 (Identify inequalities and territorial imbalances in spaces where new technologies are also present.) Identify inequalities and territorial imbalances in spaces where new technologies are also present.
- KA05 (List the local, territorial and urban development policies that are most relevant to the instruments available.) List the local, territorial and urban development policies that are most relevant to the instruments available.
- KA06 (Define the principles of environmental ecology in relation to integrated territorial management at different levels (neighbourhood, municipality, metropolis and region).) Define the principles of environmental ecology in relation to integrated territorial management at different levels (neighbourhood, municipality, metropolis and region).
- KA07 (Link levels of local development with social and territorial imbalances in different urban, peri-urban and peripheral areas.) Link levels of local development with social and territorial imbalances in different urban, peri-urban and peripheral areas.
- SA03 (Analyse local, territorial and urban development proposals on the basis of development and sustainability.) Analyse local, territorial and urban development proposals on the basis of development and sustainability.
- SA04 (Present viable proposals for conflict resolution and choose between the alternatives put forward in local and urban development models.) Present viable proposals for conflict resolution and choose between the alternatives put forward in local and urban development models.
Contents
Course contents
- Theoretical foundations of local and territorial development: main approaches, concepts, and contemporary debates.
- Globalization, economic restructuring, and production networks: transformations in the global economy and their territorial, social, and economic implications.
- Sustainability and socio-environmental crisis: ecological and social challenges for territorial development in the 21st century.
- Innovation, technological change, and the knowledge economy: opportunities, inequalities, and spatial transformations associated with new technologies.
- Social capital, collective action, and cooperation networks: territorial resources and collaborative dynamics for local development.
- Development policies, territorial governance, and social actors: participation, power relations, institutional capacities, and decision-making processes.
- The State and the public sector as agents of local and regional development: public intervention, territorial policies, and institutional capacities.
- Feminist and gender perspectives in territorial development: concepts, debates, and tools for analyzing gender inequalities in development processes.
- Economic diversity and community economies: alternative economic practices, social and solidarity economy, and new forms of economic organization.
- Foundational Economy and other emerging approaches: new theoretical and methodological perspectives for understanding and promoting local and regional development based on collective well-being, sustainability, and social justice.
The teaching of this subject will be carried out mainly in Catalan.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition of bibliographic comments in class | 4 | 0.16 | |
| Lectures with ICT support, exemplification and case study | 25 | 1 | |
| Study and reserach work | 56 | 2.24 | |
| Field trip | 3 | 0.12 | |
| Find information about cases | 12.5 | 0.5 | |
| Attend scheduled conferences | 1 | 0.04 | |
| Preparation of bibliographic comments | 22.5 | 0.9 | |
| Individual specialized tutorials | 5 | 0.2 | |
| Follow-up review of bibliographic comments and other activities | 21 | 0.84 |
- The teaching sessions are organized in two parts. The first consists of theoretical sessions, in which students will present and discuss readings - occasionally, a guest speaker may intervene. The second part is dedicated to practical sessions, during which students work in small groups (of 2 or 3 people) designing a local development strategy focused on the territory analyzed in the first semester's main topic or a territory of their interest.
- Students must individually do at least two reviews of class readings in accordance with the requirements expressed by the teaching staff and present them.
- A field trip of about 5 hours of work with the teaching staff present is planned.
- Each member of the groups will present their research at the end of the course.
Note: 15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the calendar established by the center/degree, for students to complete the surveys to evaluate the performance of the teaching staff and to evaluate the subject/module.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research project | 45% | 0 | 0 | CA04, CA05, CA06, KA04, KA05, KA06, KA07, SA03, SA04 |
| Attendance and participation | 10% | 0 | 0 | CA04, CA05, CA06, KA04, KA05, KA06, KA07, SA03, SA04 |
| Bibliographic reviews, and questionnaires of some conferences | 30% | 0 | 0 | CA05, KA04, KA05, KA06, KA07, SA03, SA04 |
| Field trip report | 15% | 0 | 0 | CA04, KA04, KA05, KA06, KA07, SA03 |
The assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired will be based on four components:
1. A research project in a group of 2 or 3 people and presentation at the end of the course. A minimum score of 5 out of 10 must be obtained to pass: 45%.
2. Article reviews will be included as part of the presentations that will be made in class, in groups or individually: 30%.
3. Attendance and participation in class and other elements that assess the integration and monitoring of the course. It will be necessary to attend 80% of classes and participate in the activities to pass the assessment: 10%.
4. Field trip report: 15%.
Information to take into account:
-If the average grade for the subject is less than 5, the student will have to go for remediation. Remediation will involve additional individual research work.
-To participate in the reevaluation, students must have been previously assessed in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade.
-The student will receive the grade of \"Not assessable\" if they have submitted zero evidence of learning or have submitted assignments that represent up to 1/3 of the total grade. If they exceed this threshold, the final grade for the subject can no longer be \"Not assessable\" and will be graded based on the evidence of learning provided.
-This subject does not provide for the single assessment system
Plagiarism:
If the student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment, this assessment will be graded 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be initiated. If several irregularities occur in the assessment acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.
Artificial Intelligence:
Restricted Use: This subject allows the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies exclusively in tasks of [to be defined, for example bibliographic research or information search, text correction or translations,...]. The student must (i) identify the parts that have been generated with AI; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency of the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and will result in the activity being assessed with a 0 and not being able to be recovered, or greater sanctions in serious cases.
Avaluations assessmentin which there have been irregularities (copying, misuse of AI, etc.) are not recoverable.
Single Assessment
This course does not provide for a single-assessment system.
Bibliography
Required readings will be given on the first day of class.
Ameridyani, A., Tokito, M., & Saizen, I. (2025). Towards community-driven rural development: Path of women group in empowering rural Women’s capacities and role in rural development. World Development Perspectives, 39, 100700.
Bauman, Z. (2015). Modernidad líquida. Fondo de cultura económica.
Casellas, A. (2010) "La geografia crítica y el discurso de la sostenibilidad: Perspectivas y Acciones\" Documents d'Anàlisi Geogràfica 56/3, 2010, p. 575-583.
Casellas, A.; Poli, C. (2013) "Planificación urbana e innovación: De la tecnología y la práctica profesional a la innovación social y política" Documents d´Anàlisi Geogràfica 59 (3), 435-454.
Casellas, A. (2014). "Desarrollo local y territorio. Del crecimiento indiscriminado a la viabilidad socialy
económica\". Àrea de Desenvolupament Econòmic y Social. Diputació de Barcelona. http://www1.diba.cat/llibreria/pdf/54054.pdf
Casellas, A. (Ed.) 2022. J.K. Gibson-Graham. Hacia una economía postcapitalista o cómo retomar el control de lo cotidiano. Varcelona: Icaria, Colección Espacios Críticos.
Cima, O. (2021). The"failure" of cooperatives in Kyrgyzstan? A postcapitalist critique of a biased narrative. Geographica Augustana, 33.
Cima, O., & Wasilewska, E. (2023). Sensing Urban Manufacturing: From Conspicuous to Sensible Production. Urban Planning, 8(4), 198-210.
Crutzen, P. J. (2006). The “anthropocene”. In Earth system science in the anthropocene (pp. 13-18). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
de Landázuri, M. C. O. (2017). De la biopolítica a la psicopolítica en el pensamiento social de Byung-Chul Han. Athenea digital, 17(1), 187-203.
Dot, E.; Casellas, A.; Pallarès-Barberà, M. (2010) "L'ambigüitat de la producció intensiva en coneixement: el nou espai econòmic del Poblenou", Documents d'Anàlisi Geogràfica 56/3, 2010, p. 389-408.
Halfacree, K.; Kovách, I.; Woodward, R. (eds) (2002) Leadership and Local Power in European Rural Development, Aldershot (England): Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Gallardo, J. C. R. (2015). La sociedad del cansancio de Byung-Chul Han. Prospectiva: Revista de Trabajo Social e Intervención Social, (20), 465-471.
Gibson-Graham, J.K. (2006) A Postcapitalist Politics. Minneapolis: Uni. of Minnesota Press. Gibson-
Graham, J.K. (1996) The End of Capitalism (As We Knew It): A Feminist Critique of Political Economy With New Introduction. Minneapolis: Uni. of Minnesota Press.
Gibson-Graham, J.K. (2008). "Diverse Economies: Performative Practices for 'Other Worlds'. Progress in Human Geography 32 (5), p.1-20.
Gibson-Graham, JK (2011). "A Feminist Project of Belonging for the Anthropocene", Gender, Place and Culture, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 1-21.
Guirado, C. Badia, A.; Tulla, A.F.; Vera, A.; Valldeperas, N. (2013) \"L'Agricultura Social. Aproximació teòrica i dimensió en el context europeu\", Biblio 3W. Volumen XVIII, nº 1046.
Malizia, E. E., Feser, E. J., Renski, H., & Drucker, J. (2021). Understanding local economic development (Second edition.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367815134.
Martos Martínez, C. (2023). Key Elements for Local Development: Practical Examples for Teaching. Universidad de Jaén.
Pike, A.,Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Tomaney, J. (2014). “Local and regional development in the Global North and South”. Progress in Development Studies, 14(1), 21-30.
Poli, C. (2010) "Sustainable Development: from Fallacy to Fraud\", Human Geography. A new Radical Journal, Vol. 3 ,2, p. 63-82.
Raj Singh, B. V., & Batar, A. K. (2024). SustainableLocal Development for Environmental and Social Sustainability. (1st ed.). Springer International Publishing AG.
Steffen, W., Broadgate, W., Deutsch, L., Gaffney, O., & Ludwig, C. (2015). The trajectory of the Anthropocene: the great acceleration. The anthropocene review, 2(1), 81-98.
Venter, M. (Ed.). (2022). Promoting sustainable local economic development initiatives : case studies. AOSIS.
Software
None specific.
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TEm) Theory (master) | 1 | Catalan | second semester | afternoon |