Population Density Gradients -
Analyze an urban area's population density by census tract to test if predictions of urban models hold true. You could examine changes over time (e.g. 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010) or if densities vary by direction from the CBD or if subcenters affect the density gradient. Alternatively you could compare densities for two cities, one large city and one small city and see if one better fits the monocentric model. You could do this by tabulating average densities for various "rings" around the CBD. If you know econometrics, you could estimate density functions using OLS regression.
For data on population and land area by census tract - You can download data for census tracts from the Census Gazetteer website: https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html. The census tract data is organized by state, so you will have to cull out the census tracts for your specific county (ies).
Census of Population and Housing-Census Tract Data - available every 10 year from the Decennial Census, e.g. 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010. Detailed information for census tracts within a metropolitan area. Usually Published a few years after the count is taken. Online data for 2000 and 2010 is available at so-called Factfinder website, https://factfinder.census.gov.
Your research project should follow a typical economics journal article outline in style. You should have the following sections in your paper:
I. Title page-Give a formal title to the paper that is descriptive of your topic. Also indicate class, date, name and PeopleSoft ID.
2. Introduction - In this section, present the urban economics issue that you are examining, and provide context.
3. Model - Clearly state the hypothesis that you are testing (or outcome you are trying to predict). This part should contain a good description of the model upon which it is based.
4. Data Description - You should describe your data and how you obtained it.
5. Empirical Results - You should present your empirical evidence and describe you methodology for testing. Do you find support for you hypothesis or do you refute it?
6. Conclusion - State your conclusion and whether or not you believe that you have found strong evidence. This part should also include an analysis of any remaining weakness in your arguments. You can describe any caveats to your work here.
7. References - List of references and website that you have accessed to do your project.
8. Data Appendix - Include a data appendix where you provide copies of ALL data used in the paper; also label the copies with the exact source. If you have a lot of data, you may instead include a data CD or flash drive.