290014 VU Urban Population Dynamics (2020S)

Population geography can be considered as the study of the spatial variation and analysis of the demographic components of change: migration, fertility (births), and mortality (deaths and diseases). Taking as its point of departure the interplay between demography and urbanity, Urban Population Dynamics focuses on three major themes and seek to comparative North-South perspective: migration, health, and vulnerability. A translocal perspective on migration studies is employed, emphasizing the dynamics of flows from, to, and between specific places. Environmental, institutional, and social aspects of urban health are explored, especially as they concern and are impacted by urban populations. Finally, the vulnerability of urban populations to environmental threats such as earthquakes, floods, and extreme weather, and the resulting adaptive human-environment relations are examined. The course concludes with a consideration of the interconnectedness of all three themes and the implications they have for urban populations.