Spatial Economics

Overview courses

• Public Economics

  The minor provides a foundation in public economics, focusing on market failures, government intervention and spatial governance. Students learn how policy instruments affect spatial outcomes and how policies can be evaluated using tools such as social cost–benefit analysis and economic valuation methods.
  
  See study guide.

• Real Estate and Urban Planning

  Students analyse why cities exist, how urban land and housing markets function, and how economic forces interact with spatial planning. Topics include job accessibility, housing affordability, urban structure, location choices of firms and households, and real estate development in different institutional contexts. 

  See study guide.

• Sociale Geografie I

  Students study spatial issues at various scales, from local urban regions to the global economy. Themes such as globalisation, spatial interaction, regional inequality, migration, spatial planning and urbanisation are analysed from a social-geographical perspective, with an emphasis on explaining spatial patterns and understanding spatial inequality between groups and regions. 

  See study guide.

• Urban Economics and Real Estate

  Economic theory and empirical analysis are used to explain patterns of urban growth and decline, land prices and real estate development. The minor links individual location choices to broader processes of regional and urban economic development. 

  See study guide.

• Land-Use Change

  In the final part of the minor, students focus on land-use change, analysing how socio-economic processes, spatial policies and biophysical conditions interact. Attention is given to sustainability challenges such as climate change, biodiversity and long-term spatial development.

  See study guide.