This course will involve students in the examination of this complex relationship between public policy and urban form and reveal the various ways that government policies, politics, and market forces shape the physical form of our cities and communities in both intentional and unintentional ways. In a seminar/lecture format students will engage with the dynamic forces by which modern cities are designed and built and the mechanisms by which government and society attempt to understand, guide and regulate the individual buildings, neighbourhoods, open spaces and infrastructure that are the products of those forces. During the term, students will have opportunities to engage with the dynamics of urban growth through in-class lectures; directed reading and research; presentations by individuals involved in proposing and planning for development; and individual or group seminar/presentations on relevant, selected topics. Ultimately the objective of the course is to expose the students to a wide array of information and practices to allow them to develop a greater understanding of the important and unavoidable links between public policy and urban design.