Assignment 1—Wicked Urban Problems in the News
Assignment Overview
Wicked urban problems are all around us, often in the news surrounded by controversy. This assignment requires you to analyze the news and identify an example of a “wicked” urban problem making headlines.
Completing the Report
Search the news for articles addressing urban issues that fit the three criteria for “wicked” problems discussed in class. Identify a specific real-life example (NOT the South Mountain Freeway) that illustrates the “wicked”
the nature of planning. The case-study you find can be local or in another city and can relate to any of the functional areas of planning (e.g. transportation, housing, economic development, environmental planning,
etc.). You must find a minimum of three sources of information about your specific case study, not just articles that discuss wicked problems in general.
Write an analysis report that clearly addresses the following for the case study you identified:
--Explain the background of the urban planning problem being addressed and the stakeholders involved
--Discuss why the problem is a “wicked” one:
--In what ways are the causes of the problem uncertain?
--Why is there no obvious solution to the problem?
--How is the problem (or solution) linked to other problems?
Your written report should be roughly two single-spaced pages in length.
Your report must be structured using the following headings and subheadings:
Background
Wickedness of Problem
Uncertainty of Causes
Lack of Obvious Solutions
Links to Other Problems
Assignments are due Wednesday 9/11 by 4:50 PM. Assignments should be submitted electronically as a Word
or PDF document under the “Assignments” tab on Canvas before the due date and time. After that point, the
the link will no longer be visible. NO late reports will be accepted.
All reports should reflect your own individual work. Direct quotes must be cited properly using a consistent citation style throughout. (Refer to the Purdue Owl website for information on accepted citation formats at:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/citation_style_chart.html)
Be sure to include a list of the 3 (minimum) sources used to complete the assignment.
Use complete sentences, be clear and concise, and thoroughly proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Reports containing excessive proofreading errors will not be accepted for credit.
Worth 75 points total. See the grading rubric on Canvas for the breakdown of points possible.
Sample Solution