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on Urban and Real Estate Economics |
| By: | Hugo Priemus |
| Abstract: | Dutch government adopts an active policy to revitalize cities in general and to renew particular problematic housing areas in particular. In the majority of large cities the share of social housing is very large, mostly more than 50%. As a result we observe an increasing concentration of low-income households in the city and selective migration by middle and high income households from the city to the suburb. Official national housing and urban renewal policy is aiming at a redifferentiation of the urban housing stock: more owner-occupation, larger homes with a higher quality and a larger share of houses with a garden. This means: demolishing social housing estates, selling social housing or renovating social housing. The dominant actor in Dutch social housing is the housing association, which has a market share of 36% of the housing stock nationwide. Their position in the regeneration of Dutch urban districts is peculiar. They are supposed to take initiative and to invest in urban renewal and in the same time they are urged to reduce their market share. How are housing associations coping with this contradictory challenge? In this paper we will provide an overview of practices in Dutch cities and we will try to explain what we observe. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p28&r=ure |
| By: | Tuba Inal Cekic; Ferhan Gezici |
| Abstract: | Globalization had a significant effect on socio-economic and spatial changes in Istanbul as the largest city of Turkey following the trends in other cities of the world since the beginning of 1980. In this transformation process which the city center was dislocated and the land rapidly opened for new demands, while the construction sector flowed to business spaces like office blocks, department stores, and five-star hotels; construction companies that prospered ventured to major housing projects in the urban periphery. Therefore, high-income group left the city center due to low quality of life in inner-city areas caused by the drawbacks of rapid urbanization such as intensive residential areas, lack of open and green sites, traffic and parking problems, increasing crime rates. These high-income group housing areas which are brought a new sight as “gated communities”, mostly developed towards the north where the natural resources e.g. forest and water basin of Istanbul Metropolitan Area are located and became a new issue while squatter settlements are still concerned. However, they are planned as individual projects with their own security systems and modern comfortable components; they developed without integration to the metropolitan master plan. The aim of the paper is to examine locational preferences and planning process of high-income group housing projects and prove their effects on the transformation of urban periphery. Their effects on the land values and the role of the central and local governments on this process are examined. Furthermore, this paper attempts to make a contribution to the literature on gated communities by taking account of their spatial impacts. The main findings of paper put forward that existing high-income group housing projects became attraction points for new projects and affected on land use and transportation pattern, while becoming new threats for natural resources of metropolitan periphery. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p41&r=ure |
| By: | Che, Janet; Ehrlich, Steven; Engeland, John; Lewis, Roger |
| Abstract: | The report examines housing market trends and housing adequacy, suitability, affordability, and core housing need in Canada's census metropolitan areas (CMAs) from 1991 to 2001. It begins with a review of demographic and housing market trends, including changes in house prices, rents, and incomes during the 1990s and of factors underlying increasing housing demand late in the decade. Against this backdrop, subsequent chapters examine how well households living in CMAs were housed in 1991, 1996, and 2001. Households that do not live in acceptable housing and do not have sufficient income to afford such housing are deemed to be in core housing need. The last chapter of the report explores the spatial distribution of core housing need in CMAs in 2001 and the characteristics of neighbourhoods in which core housing need was most prevalent. |
| Keywords: | Social conditions, Housing |
| Date: | 2005–01–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp7e:2004005e&r=ure |
| By: | Øystein Engebretsen |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to discuss the interaction of location and daily mobility in cities. According to previous research the length of daily travel and the amount of car use in cities are influenced by urban density and residential location, thus focusing on urban sprawl as one of the main challenges for sustainable urban planning. However, during the last 10-15 years it has been more popular to settle in the inner city areas of Norwegian cities. This re-urbanisation has resulted in a stabilization of the urban density and a growth of the settlement in less car dependent areas. Nevertheless the car traffic is increasing. One reason for this may be the location of activities. Compared to the influence of urban density and residential location, the location of business and other activities seems to be an equally (or more) important causal factor for differences in daily mobility and increased car use. The paper presents analyses of travel behaviour in the cities of Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim. The main focus is on how travel behaviour is affected by the location of homes (trip origin), the location of trip destinations, the accessibility with car and public transport, and the access to work place parking. The analysis is based on a database containing merged data from four large travel surveys conducted in 2001. In the travel surveys the origins and destinations are geocoded with reference to census units. This gives unbiased information about where the trips started and ended, and thus makes it possible to analyse the interaction of location and daily mobility. The analysis is carried out through using GIS based travel survey maps and other spatial analysing techniques. To some extent, the results support the planning philosophy underlying the Dutch ABC planning model that was introduced 15 years ago. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p577&r=ure |
| By: | Joan Carles Martori; Karen Hoberg; Jordi Suriñach |
| Abstract: | Given the important growth of immigrants in Spain it would be interesting to study its distribution throughout the urban area. Statistics suggest different large traditional indices allowing to quantify the segregation of minority population groups. Segregation can be measured from the different points of view and a new segregation perspective can be obtained by the utilisation of innovative indices including spatial statistics elements, as well as local indicators of spatial association (LISA). Through the application of these tools on the Barcelona and its metropolitan region case, its utilities in the analysis of resident segregation in a town are shown and segregation patterns are found out. The results point out that the segregation differs depending on the observed group. The combination of all these measures represents a useful proceeding in the analysis of the distribution of immigrants in the urban zones and its convenience extends to the different areas like sociology, economics, city planning or housing policies. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p225&r=ure |
| By: | Frédéric Gaschet; Julie Le Gallo |
| Abstract: | Over the post-war period, urban growth has exhibited complex spatial patterns including both population spread and employment suburbanization from the central city towards the suburbs, both in US and European metropolitan areas. An important literature, based on North-American metropolitan areas, has also highlighted the strong link existing between this process of suburbanization and the reinforcement of socio-spatial segregation against poor populations living in the central cities (Kain, 1992; Ihlandfeldt and Sjoquist, 1998). On the contrary, European cities do not usually follow this pattern: populations with high income remain localized in and near the city center while urban sprawl mainly concerns households with modest incomes. While the intensity and characteristics of spatial segregation has been extensively documented for US urban areas (Cutler and Glaeser, 1997) and mainly concerns segregation along the ethnic dimension (Taeuber and Taeuber, 1965; Massey and Denton, 1993), studies investigating the specificities of the segregation phenomenon in European cities in general, and French cities in particular, remain scarce (Rhein, 1998; Guermond and Lajoie, 1999; Préteceille, 2001). In this context, the aim of this paper is to analyze the intra-urban spatial segregration in terms of nationality, employment, socio-professional categories and income in four French urban poles: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and Dijon. More precisely, we are interested in answering the following questions. First, how does spatial segregation vary for these different measures and across the four urban poles? Second, what are the spatial patterns of segregation within each urban pole? In order to answer these questions, two steps are necessary. The first step involves computing global segregation indices for the different variables and urban poles. In particular, we focus on the Duncan and Duncan’s (1955) segregation and dissimilarity indices and their spatial versions (Wong, 1993), White’s (1983) index and Gini’s measure. Since these measures are global, the second step consists in identifying the spatial patterns involved. In that purpose, we compute entropy indices, which are local segregation indices that reflect the diversity within each unit and that can be mapped to show the spatial variations of segregation among the units of the four urban poles. The paper is organized as follows. First, we discuss the measures of spatial segregation used in this paper. Then we present the study areas, the data and the spatial weight matrix used to perform the analysis. The empirical results are divided in two parts: first, we compute global measures of spatial segregation for nationality, employment, socio-professional categories and income for our four urban poles and second, we display the local spatial segregation indices. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p704&r=ure |
| By: | Ana Paula Delgado; Isabel Maria Godinho |
| Abstract: | In this paper we study the evolution of the Portuguese urban system from 1864 to 2001. We apply the rank-size model and use rank-size estimates to describe the evolution of city-size hierarchy. Non paretian behaviour of the distribution is examined by adding a quadratic term to the basic equation of the model. Our results enhance two different processes in the evolution of urban system: until the middle of the twentieth century urban growth was accompanied by population concentration in the largest cities and proliferation of small cities; afterwards growth benefits middle size cities, reinforced in the last decades by heavy population losses in the two largest cities. From the association between the characteristics and evolving pattern of city size distribution and the spatial pattern of urban growth, it appears that the non paretian behaviour of city size distribution in the last decades can be linked to the particular growth process of cities located in the proximity of the central cities of the two metropolitan areas of Portugal’s mainland. In order to obtain a better understanding of the dynamics of the Portuguese urban system we examine the movements in the ranking of cities. We also analyse the existence of spatial correlation in the process of urban hierarchy restructuring. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p490&r=ure |
| By: | Marie-Hélène Massot; Emre Korsu |
| Abstract: | Many experts believe that the uninterrupted lengthening of trip distances, and especially trip-to-work distances, is carried mostly by urban sprawl combined to growing functional (economic functions/residential functions) and social (high-class residential areas/low-class residential areas) specialization of urban space. According to them, these three dynamics (urban sprawl - functional specialization - social specialization) drag along quantitative and qualitative spatial imbalances between economic and residential functions and these spatial imbalances contribute to widen the distance separating workers' homes and job places, and hence, to lenghten the trips-to-work. On the basis of this diagnosis, the re-establishement of a greater balance, on both quantitative and qualitative grounds, between jobs and housing in different areas of the city is currently emerging as a major issue regarding the car-traffic reducing goal. Making the assumption that the multiplication of long-distance trips occurs as a consequence of greater difficulties encountered by households searching decent housing nearby workplaces, many experts argue that efficient urban policies promoting a diversified housing supply nearby job centres would allow more reasonable commuting distances and that such a return should go forth with a reduction in car traffic. In this paper, through a simulation model based on re-assignment of households closer to their workplaces, we examine the potential of car traffic reduction in the case of the Paris region. More precisely the impact of jobs-housing balance policy is based on a simulation model which states assignment of households located far from their work place within zones located nearer to the work place. The households that are reassigned are those where all workers travel more than a given time-threshold to reach their work place. These households are relocated within a perimeter around either the work place of the head of the household if it is a one worker household or the work place of the female worker if it is a two worker household - this perimeter is defined with reference to a time-threshold (set to 20, 30 or 45 minutes by private car or by public transport). For each type of household (defined according to social status, number of workers and family profile), the type of housing demanded by reassigned households is derived from the structure of housing detained by households that are already located within the perimeter of re-assignment. Three analyses are conducted on the basis of this simulation. According to the different time-thresholds : first, we estimate the total distances saved on home-work trips by private car when households are reassigned. Second, we identify the characteristics of reassigned households (especially social status, number of workers, family profile, residential location, job location, etc.). Third, we estimate the housing offer/demand imbalance after re-assignment (with specific interest for the case of housing for low-income groups). |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p647&r=ure |
| By: | Frank Van Oort; Otto Raspe |
| Abstract: | How can cities and metropolitan regions remain prosperous and competitive in a rapidly changing economy? In our paper we argue that ‘the knowledge economy’ offers perspectives for growth and added value creation. The paper clarifies what elements the knowledge economy actually consists of, how it can be measured in statistical indicators, in which regions and cities in the Netherlands the knowledge economy has its most significant imprints and what statistical association there is between these regions and cities and relatively good economic performance of firms. We test two contrasting hypotheses often heard in the international literature. The current embedding of knowledge externalities in endogenous economic growth theory have led to important contributions that stress the urban character knowledge transmission in particular. The reasoning is that if knowledge spillovers and –externalities are important to growth and innovation, they should be more easily identified in cities where many people are concentrated into a relatively small geographic space so that knowledge can be transmitted between them more easily. Much recent research indeed finds a limited extent of spatial spillovers and a large degree of local clustering. Alternatively, a large body of literature on Western spatial configurations of innovation and high-technology firms predominantly stresses the supposed ‘urban field’ character of firm performance: location and agglomeration aspects do not seem to have a systematic impact on the distribution of innovative and growth inducing activities over space. We test the urban hypothesis using spatial econometric modeling techniques. On the one hand, the fact that a distance squared distance weight matrix in spatial lag estimations fits the performance data best in relation to knowledge economy factors indicates that spatial relations are limited and urban fixed. On the other hand, the significance of several spatial regimes though (especially those of the Randstad core region, the so-called intermediate zone and medium-sized cities) indicates that the urban structure related to the knowledge economy and economic performance is not straightforward hierarchical (largest cities are not the relatively most attached to the knowledge economy). Both hypotheses (urban and non-urban) are too extreme to fit the Dutch situation. We also conclude that the locational attributes of the factor ‘knowledge workers’ are much more significantly related to economic growth and added value (in practically all specifications over regimes and spatial lag estimations) than the R&D-based innovation input factor. This questions Dutch policy initiatives that mainly focus on R&D as stimulator of the ‘knowledge economy’. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p165&r=ure |
| By: | Robbert Zandvliet; Martin Dijst |
| Abstract: | In a network society, spurred on by technological, social, and economic factors, the process of land use deconcentration has resulted in various new urban forms such as edge cities and edgeless cities. While the consequences of this process for the distribution of the residential population and travel patterns have been extensively described and analyzed, there has as yet been little investigation of its effect on visitors’ use of places. The aim of this study is to develop a typology of urban, suburban, and rural municipalities located in monocentric and polycentric urban systems on the basis of dimensions of diurnal weekday variations in visitor populations. The dimensions used in this study have been derived from the 1998 Netherlands National Travel Survey. A two-step cluster analysis resulted in five types of municipality: ‘central place’, ‘contemporary node’, ‘self-contained’, ‘mobile children’, and ‘local children’. The results reveal that, compared with monocentric urban systems, settlements in polycentric urban systems are more networked; that is, suburbs in these systems are capable of attracting a substantial share of working visitors who have their residence in the core city (‘contemporary node’) and school children from other suburban and central city communities (‘mobile children’). Outside the urban systems the ‘self-contained’ type, which contains people at work, learning, and in recreation locally and lacks the inflow of visitors from outside, is over represented. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p203&r=ure |
| By: | Danielle Snellen; Hans Hilbers; Arno Hendriks |
| Abstract: | Mobility reduction and modal shift towards public transport, walking and cycling were important aims of the Dutch spatial policy from the nineties (VINEX). This policy encompassed several criteria for new housing developments, to limit the mobility these generate. This paper reports on a study into the mobility consequences of the developments that were the result of this VINEX policy. It discusses the compliance of these locations with policy criteria and analyses the (car) travel behaviour of their inhabitants. The study focusses on the spatial situation of all newly built housing from the period 1995-2003 and the travel behaviour of their occupants. Part of these are classified as VINEX developments or dwellings, others are not developed as part of the VINEX policy and are referred to as non-VINEX. Results were obtained from detailled analyses of spatial characteristics and regression analyses of individual travel patterns. Differences between sections of the population and their specific characteristics are controlled for. The results show that the situation on the VINEX developments is largely in accordance with policy intentions, both with regard to proximity and accessibility. Many houses have been built within the existing urban area and the location of green field developments in relation to urban centres is favourable. Public transport facilities are on average better for VINEX dwellings, than elsewhere. Policy implementation was less succesful with regard to mixing land uses and the distances to daily amenities. The mobility generated proves to vary strongly between different types of locations. New developments, in general, generate more motorised mobility than average. Locations that were developed as part of the VINEX policy do better than non-VINEX. Especially the innercity VINEX-developments is characterised by low car use, despite the fact that they are inhabited by a relatively mobile section of the population. However, the results also show that innercity developments are most useful when located in the older parts of cities. Car use was high on Vinex-greenfield locations, but that is mainly caused by the composition of the population. The spatial criteria for VINEX developments, proximity and accessibility, have in fact played an important role in the more favourable mobility pattern. Particularly the location near urban centres and the accessibility by public transport have contributed to the lower car use in VINEX developments in comparison to non-VINEX. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p549&r=ure |
| By: | Marjo Kasanko; Jose I. Barredo; Carlo Lavalle; Valentina Sagris |
| Abstract: | In this article we analyse the relationship between urban land use development and population density in fifteen European urban areas. In the last 20 years the extent of built-up areas in Europe has increased by 20%, exceeding clearly the 6% rate of population growth over the same period. This is one of the consequences of unsustainable development patterns in large areas of Europe. In order to illustrate such unsustainable process we show five sets of indicators on built-up areas, residential land use, land taken by urban expansion, population density and how the population takes up the built-up space.The results show that analysing urban land use development necessitates the use of complementary indicators. The built-up areas have grown considerably in a sample of 15 European cities. The most rapid growth dates back to 1950s and 1960s. The annual growth pace has slowed down in the 1990s to 0.75 %. In half of the studied cities over 90% of all new housing areas built after the mid-1950s are discontinuous urban developments. This trend is increasing the use of private car and fragmentation of natural areas among others negative effects. When putting these findings into the context of stable or decreasing urban population, it is clear that the structure of most of European cities has become less compact, which demonstrates a de-centralisation process of urban land uses. We close by discussing on one hand the common urban land use and population density trends and on the other hand differences between the studied cities. Although most studied urban areas have experienced dispersed growth, as a result of the analysis we divide the cities in three groups: - compact cities,- cities with looser structures and lower densities,- and cities in the midway between the extremes. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p149&r=ure |
| By: | Victor Lavy |
| Abstract: | In 1994 the city of Tel Aviv replaced its existing school integration program based on inter-district busing, with a new program that allowed students to choose freely between schools in and out of district. This paper explores the impact of this program on high school outcomes while distinguishing the effect of choice on individual students from general equilibrium effects on affected districts. The identification is based on a regression discontinuity design that yields comparison groups drawn from untreated tangent neighborhoods in adjacent cities and on instrumental variables. The results suggest that the choice program had significant general equilibrium effects on high school dropout rates, matriculation rates and program of study. The gains are more pronounced among disadvantaged children but not among students who took advantage of the option to attend out of district schools with higher mean outcomes. These results and other evidence related to the behavioral responses of schools and students to the program suggest that the positive impact of the program is mainly due to better matching between students and schools and to productivity effects of choice and competition among schools. |
| JEL: | I20 J24 |
| Date: | 2006–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11969&r=ure |
| By: | Funda Yirmibesoglu |
| Abstract: | Due to migration and rapidly increasing urban population settlement in urban land, lacking any planning or infrastructure, in addition to the destruction of the 17th August 1999 earthquake, it is necessary to examine uncertainty of housing demand and supply in Istanbul. After the 17th August earthquake, Istanbul has been adversely affected economically and socially. Significant differentiation in urban housing demand and supply has been observed. In the paper, this differentiation will be scrutinized for the 1995-2005 period before the earthquake, and the period after the earthquake until present. The distribution of real estate agencies will be examined with the help of GIS and the changes in the real estate market with questionnaires. The purpose of the research is to analyse; Housing production in the housing market in Istanbul; Differentiation of housing demand and supply; Distribution of real estate agencies; Differentiation of housing value and land value in neighbourhoods before and after the earthquake. The study provides an insight into the housing and real estate market in Istanbul, results and proposals of which will be presented. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p562&r=ure |
| By: | Arie Romein |
| Abstract: | The urban landscape in advanced economies transforms from monocentric cities to polycentric urban networks on regional scale. The growing amount of research that is being devoted to this transformation sticks to classic activity systems like residential development, economic production and employment and commuting. Synchronous to this transformation, a 'new' activity system, outdoor leisure and entertainment, increasingly leaves its stamp on the economic performance and spatial organisation of urban areas in general. Due to tremendous dynamics of consumption, production, and urban politics with regard to this activity system, it is subject of a composite of spatial pressures for centralisation in inner-cites, de-concentration away form central cities and (re-)concentration in suburbs and exurban places. Notwithstanding this composite spatial dynamics, leisure and entertainment are not part of the research agenda on regional polycentric urban networks. Based on brief overviews of literature on both polycentric urban development and the dynamics of leisure and entertainment in urban areas, this paper presents a few basic research questions in order to initiate the research agenda on the contribution of the leisure activity system to the development of polycentric urban networks on regional scale. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p249&r=ure |
| By: | M. Oguz Sinemillioglu; Can Tuncay Akýn; Havva Özyýlmaz |
| Abstract: | The aim of this study is to analyze changings in housing demand, especially in term of house size in Diyarbakýr case, in Turkey. Though Housing in Turkey is in a free market system, there is a Mass Housing Administration (TOKÝ) has been doing mass houses for, relatively, middle class income people. Diyarbakýr, one of the cities that TOKÝ has done two thousand houses, has taken too much migration, so that the demand in housing form and structure has different alterations. This process should be under control not only for the economy but also for sustainable housing environment and for sustainable urbanism. Immigration from rural areas to cities for better living conditions has started with urbanization and resulted with overpopulation in the cities of Turkey. Mass housing fact is formed in order to satisfy shortage of housing. The quantity as well as the quality of housing has reached seriously to a high degree. There are many slums in Diyarbakýr which has density of wraped urbanization. Since 1994, Mass Houing Management has started new projects to prevent such an unhealthy settlement being consructed and to supply more houses for the homeless Iiving in the town. In this work, inhabitants in different settlements wiil be questioned to identify their economic, social and spatial needs comparing with mass housing. Besides, comparison between the people’s preferences on housing those don’t live never in mass housing and the people’s desire alterations those live in mass housing by investigation of their settlement process will be done. The level of coorelation between the function and house size will be examined for decreasing the housing ownership process and cost. The proposals about sustainable housing environment will be given. Such research is considered to be helpful for future house planing in Turkey’s cities like Diyarbakýr. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p547&r=ure |
| By: | Valerija Botriæ; Željka Kordej de Villa |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates regional differences in the housing market in Croatia. Housing market in Croatia is still relatively undeveloped, but highly regionally dispersed. Regions characterized by excessive demand on the housing and real estate markets are concentrated in the capital city and recently in the tourist areas. Regions characterized by the excessive supply are those in the economically depressed areas. At the same time, Croatian labour market lacks significant geographical mobility, which contributes to the differences on the housing market as well. Croatian housing market had to experience the phase of price liberalization, as well as other markets in the transition process. This specific liberalization, though, was not considered as a priority during the process. Price developments and turnover dynamics are still bounded by underdeveloped and not updated cadastre, purchasing power of the Croatian residents, newly discovered and soon surpassed credit liabilities, and at this moment still limited possibilities of non-residents real estate purchases. Within the prospect of becoming an EU member, Croatian housing market is expected to gone through significant changes. The main purpose of our paper is to quantitatively assess the situation prior to the EU accession. We apply principles of hedonic price methods in order to estimate the determinants of housing prices, taking account of regional differences. Our database consists of the detailed spatial data. Since the database is relatively new, the time dimension of housing market developments is not assessed in this paper. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p289&r=ure |
| By: | Aldert De Vries; Ries Van der Wouden |
| Abstract: | Dutch society does not accept high levels of income segregation. This tendency has repeatedly been revealed in public opinion surveys. Dutch government intervenes on different levels trying to mix low and high income groups both between cities and suburbs, as well as within city neighborhoods. The question is to what extent the assumptions on actual concentration and differentiation of different income groups hold true if compared to real figures. This paper publishes income data at 500 by 500 meter cells, showing significant spatial patterns of distribution and growth of low and high income groups. Remarkably, high income groups appear to be more segregated than low income groups. All Dutch central city areas have regained high income groups in the period 1995-2000, while the reverse happens in all other city neighborhoods. Despite those tendencies, large parts of the cities have a mixed composition of low, medium and high income groups. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p597&r=ure |
| By: | Genevieve Giuliano; Christian Redfearn |
| Abstract: | Are contemporary metropolitan regions becoming more dispersed? The collective set of urban models tells us two stories. The first is that changes in the structure of the economy, ever faster and cheaper information and communications technologies, and the dispersion of the labor force have broadened the scope of agglomeration economies. Hence employment will continue to decentralize. The alternative story argues that heavy reliance on face-to-face communication in the information economy, economies of scale and scope in infrastructure, and historical path dependence in urban spatial patterns suggest that highly localized agglomeration economies continue to exist. The purpose of our research is to establish robust empirical evidence that can help clarify the debate over the evolution of economic activity within a metropolitan area and provide the data that can be used to test the implications of many of the models that speak to urban dynamics. We examine changes in employment patterns in the Los Angeles region, from 1980 to 2000. As a rapidly growing, prototypically polycentric region, Los Angeles provides an interesting case study of spatial evolution. Using data from 1980, 1990 and 2000, we identify employment centers and describe spatial trends in the pattern of employment inside and outside these centers. Our findings point to three trends in the evolution of the topography of employment. First, there is a remarkable degree of stability in the system of centers. While a small number of centers appear and disappear, the large majority of centers are evident throughout the three sample periods. This stability does not mean that the distribution of employment has been static, however. The second trend is a marked spread in the average distance of jobs from the traditional core: the average job in 2000 was significantly further from downtown than in 1980. This decentralization is not simply dispersion, but rather both deconcentration and concentration. That is, while the most rapid job growth has occurred in the outer suburbs, suburban employment centers have become more numerous, larger and more concentrated. These trends appear to defy simple models of urban evolution and call for a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics underlying these trends. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p686&r=ure |
| By: | Ghebreegziabiher Debrezion; Eric Pels; Piet Rietveld |
| Abstract: | In an efficient market, the levels of house prices reflect the values of value of physical, accessibility and environmental features corresponding to the house. The Dutch residential house market though could not be claimed to work under a perfectly efficient market; the prices can be diagnosed to reflect the value of these features. This paper focuses on the value of railway accessibility feature to the residential houses prices. Stations are treated as transport access points with distance and frequency of train services components and potential places for negative externalities. Applying a cross sectional hedonic price model, we found railway stations as identified by frequency of train service has elasticity of close to 0.3 for house up to a distance of 3 kms. Due to the spatial nature of the data we controlled the spatial effects by regional dummies. Proximity to railway line as differing from proximity to station, explaining the noise effect, has negative effect on prices. At the same time the immediate neighbourhood of the station is affected negatively from externality of the station. Highway accessibility on the other hand shows slightly different effect on house prices, in that peak effects occur at 4-5 km from the highway entry/exit point. All other physical and neighbourhood variables as income level and population composition show expected effect on house prices. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p748&r=ure |
| By: | Jan Ritsema van Eck; Femke Daalhuizen; Lia Van den Broek; Frank Van Oort; Otto Raspe |
| Abstract: | Randstad Holland, the most urbanised area in the western part of the Netherlands, is one of the seven World Cities that were described in Peter Halls famous study of that name. World cities are those cities which have the highest level (in terms of both quantity and quality) of internationally oriented activities. In this ranking of world cities, the Randstad is often mentioned as an example of a polycentric metropolis. But does the Randstad function as one world city, rather than a conglomerate of medium-sized urban regions in close proximity to each other? The network city is supposed to be more than the sum of the constituent urban regions. This implies not only specialisation between these urban regions, but also complementarity and, as a result of this, a high quality (metropolitan) environment for residents, visitors and business. Clearly, the four main urban regions of the Randstad show some degree of functional specialisation. In this paper, the main focus will be on the complementarity. We propose to measure complementarity by analysing flows of people, goods and/or information, specifically focussing on the asymmetric flows, against the background of functional specialisation. Some results are presented for the Randstad Holland as well as some other polycentric urban networks, which are discussed in the context of the debate about the Randstad as a Network City. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p543&r=ure |
| By: | Paul Cheshire; Stefano Magrini |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates growth differences in the urban system of the EU12 between the means of 1978/80 and 1992/94. Models in which growth of real GDP p.c. is the dependent variable perform well and make it possible to test significant hypotheses. The analysis supports the conclusion that systems of urban governance are strongly related to growth. The variables are formulated in a way which tests hypotheses derived from ‘fiscal federalism’ viewing growth promotion as the production of a local public good. Evidence is also found supporting a spatial adaptation of the endogenous growth model with the relative size of the university sector having a highly significant role in explaining growth differences. Careful testing for spatial dependence reveals that national borders are significant barriers to adjustment but including explicit spatial effects resolves the specification problems. Density of urbanisation in some parts of the EU12 produces a local ‘growth shadow’ effect consistent with dynamic agglomeration economies and with commuting flows having an important role in spatial economic adjustment processes where cities are densely packed. In addition, evidence is found supporting the conclusion that integration shocks in the EU favour core areas but that this effect tends to fade with time. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p13&r=ure |
| By: | M. Oguz Sinemillioglu; Nese Karacay |
| Abstract: | The aim of this study is to analyze Central Business District (CBD) of Diyarbakýr and its evolution and by which the future possibilities of CBD location(s) will be search for. The city of Diyarbakir with almost 800 thousand inhabitants, needs to be evaluated for urban services and its location of Central Business District. This evaluation is necessary because there has been a rapid urbanization and changing in urban services in last three decades. In addition, The demand of urban services by cities around Diyarbakýr is increasing and inevitably new search for better urban services CBD of Diyarbakýr is questioning. The study will try to explain this process by using questionnaires, Analyzing urban land use plans, Studying on demographic and economic data of the city. Finally, we expect to have some ideas of new location(s) CBD of Diyarbakýr. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p331&r=ure |
| By: | Yoshitaka Kajita; Satoshi Toi; Hiroshi Tatsumi |
| Abstract: | Land use is changeable in the urban area, depending upon the economical mechanism of market. The controlled urbanization area is made a region where the urbanization should be controlled by the city planning and zoning act. However, in the zone, there are also many areas where form regulation of the building is looser than the urbanization zone which should form a city area. Therefore disorderly development acts, such as location of the large-scale commercial institution and leisure facilities unsuitable for circumference environment, are accepted in the controlled urbanization area. On the other hand, energies decrease in existing village by population decrease and declining birthrate and a growing proportion of elderly people become a problem. In order to cope with this problem, it is important to understand the past conditions of land use for the urban planning. This paper describes the spatial structure of urbanization control districts based on the present conditions and the change structure of land use by using mesh data surveyed and the copy of the development permission register in a local hub-city in Japan. Land use forecasting systems are designed using neural network. Although land use is classified separately in every surveyed year, the common classification of land use is proposed, considering the similarity of spatial distributions and the physical meanings of land use. Then, the distribution by mesh at each division of land use is studied. Spatial distribution of land use and its transition are also discussed. Next, land use forecasting models are made out using neural network. The feature and structure of change in the land use of an area depends on whether development projects are carried out or not. Therefore, all of the meshes are divided into two groups, and forecasting models are designed. Though our proposed approach is a macroscopic forecasting method of land use, it is useful in the investigation of urban policies for development projects and in the evaluation of their effects. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p415&r=ure |
| By: | Alexander Kaufmann |
| Abstract: | Metropolitan regions are important locations of innovation networks. They comprise a broad variety of high tech firms, producer services, research organizations, financial organizations, training institutions and other private and public organizations which are contributing to innovation. Such regions, however, are typically larger than the administrative entity of the core city. This applies also to the greater Vienna urban region, the most important concentration of innovation-related institutions in Austria. This paper analyses the potential role of the municipal authorities of Vienna in supporting and shaping the metropolitan innovation system. This is a complex task because many important elements of the innovation networks of local firms are located outside the city or the metropolitan region. And even those organizations which have their physical location in the city are sometimes controlled from abroad (e.g. foreign owned subsidiaries) or by other, in particular national, administrative levels (e.g. federal universities). Based on a survey of innovation networks in the Vienna urban region, basic structural features of these networks - types of partners, their location and the kind of relations between them - are presented. From these results, conclusions concerning the design of urban innovation policy - its potential scope and effectiveness, reasonable priorities and inevitable limits - are drawn. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p126&r=ure |
| By: | Evert Meijers |
| Abstract: | In many European countries, territorial development strategies identify the development potential of so-called polycentric urban regions: regions in which a multitude of more or less similar-sized, formerly independent and distinct cities are located close to each other and among which functional relationships seem to be on the increase. Often, such polycentric urban regions are referred to using metaphors as city networks or urban networks. Well-known examples are the Randstad and Brabantstad in the Netherlands and the Flemish Diamond in Belgium. Taken together, the cities of such a region would provide for more critical mass and more agglomeration economies so that the region can compete on a higher level. In order to exploit the potentialities of such regions, often co-operation links have been forged between the cities. From a geographical perspective, applying the network metaphor to such a regional collection of cities seems only appropriate when the regional spatial structure corresponds to what has been labelled as the ‘Network Model’ (Batten, 1995; Van der Knaap, 2002). It could be argued that the presence of a networked spatial structure is necessary for a polycentric urban region to be more than just a collection of cities. One of the defining characteristics of the network model is that the cities, or the activities and places within them, should complement each other. The paper addresses this issue of complementarity in polycentric urban regions, focussing on the regional structure of urban facilities such as hospital care, higher education and the cultural sector in Dutch polycentric urban regions. The paper will demonstrate how spatially relevant decisions taken within these micro-sectors alter, on a macro-level, the spatial structure of the polycentric urban region. The question is whether these lead to less duplication and, through differentiation, to a higher extent of complementarity. In other words, are polycentric urban regions as the Randstad turning into urban networks? |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p208&r=ure |
| By: | Paul Cheshire; Stefano Magrini |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates differences in the rate of growth of population across the large city-regions of the EU12 between 1980 and 2000. The US model which assumes perfect factor mobility does not seem well adapted to European conditions. There is evidence strongly suggesting that equilibrating migration flows between cities in different countries are highly constrained in the EU. However, quality of life motives do seem to be a significant and important feature of differential population growth rates if measured relative to national rather than EU12 values. Once other factors are allowed for, a systematic and highly significant factor determining rates of urban population growth is climatic variation. Cities with better weather than that of their countries have systematically tended to gain population over the past 20 years once other factors – including natural rates of increase in the areas of each country outside the major cities - are allowed for: there is no such effect for climate variables if expressed relative to the value of the EU12 as a whole. On the other hand, there is evidence that the systematic spatial gains from European integration are reflected in a city’s population growth. The results are tested for spatial dependence and remain robust. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p12&r=ure |
| By: | Berry Blijie |
| Abstract: | Transport in general, and accessibility of people, jobs and services in particular, is assumed to have an important impact on the residential choice behavior of households. After all, the amount of activities that can be deployed by the household members, whether labor, leisure or socially correlated, is determined by the accessibility of a location. The past decades, residential location choice of households has been subject of study of many researches. Nevertheless, the relation between accessibility and residential choice has shown to be hard to verify empirically. Such (empirical) knowledge, however, can help address many of the problems that urban regions are facing nowadays, like the (re-) location of residential areas and jobs, the planning of new infrastructure and predicting the amount of traffic generated by commuting and leisure activities. The first part of this paper gives an overview of the literature on residential choice behavior, with an emphasis on research that studied the relation with accessibility. Next, the results of a discrete choice model for the residential choice behavior of households will be presented. The model is estimated on the National Housing Survey, in which over 75 thousand Dutch households were inquired on their current and previous housing situation. Different aspects of the residential choice decision are incorporated in the model, like the dwelling type, the location of the dwelling and the characteristics of the household, all in relation with the influence of accessibility. The results show that individual accessibility measures, like migration distance, commuting distance and access to public transport for households without a car, have more impact than the often used general measures like the amount of jobs within 30 minutes travel time, which is apparently the same for all inhabitants in a region. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p626&r=ure |
| By: | Guido De Blasio |
| Abstract: | To explain the concentration of human capital in cities, urban theory conjectures that the metropolitan scale provides two sources of returns for the more educated: production benefits, both in terms of wages and non-monetary gains, and consumption benefits. By exploiting a unique survey on Italian workers that records information for the two sources of returns, this paper quantifies their respective roles. The findings show that skilled workers enjoy higher consumption amenities in larger cities. They benefit from the local public goods, such as transportation, health and schooling services, the shopping possibilities, and the cultural consumption potentials made possible by the urban location of cinemas, theaters, and museums. On the other hand, the more educated do not receive benefits on the production side. Their wages do not reflect a premium, and the returns to education and experience are not higher than elsewhere. Moreover, urban skilled workers do not change jobs more readily than elsewhere and do not appear to be more satisfied of their jobs. The estimates imply that in the largest metropolitan areas the value of the consumption amenities can be as high as 50% of the rents or 16-17% of the wages. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p648&r=ure |
| By: | Miguel Mateos; Paul Pfaffenbichler |
| Abstract: | Sustainability is one of today's major challenges. A widely accepted definition of sustainability is based on intergenerational equity and a set of sub objectives. Numerous studies provide evidence that cities worldwide do not fulfil the requirements of sustainability. The work presented here investigates whether transport policies of the municipality of Madrid contribute to the high level objective of sustainability. The “Comunidad de Madrid” is situated in the heart of Spain. It covers an area of 8,000 km2. About 5 million people live within the whole region. The city of Madrid itself has about 2.9 million inhabitants. The situation is characterised by a rapid development of housing and businesses in the surroundings of the city. Traffic is characterised by a high share of people commuting into the core city. Although Madrid has an efficient metro line system, this results in a high level of peak hour congestion. As well the land use as the transport system do not fulfil the requirements of sustainability. Different measures were realised and proposed to remedy the current situation. One of these measures is a bus and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. The HOV lane covers a 16 kilometres long stretch of the highway N-VI and was opened in the year 1995. The strategic, dynamic land use and transport interaction model MARS (Metropolitan Activity Relocation Simulator) will be used to assess the effects of the HOV lane. MARS covers the whole “Comunidad de Madrid”. Effects on land use and regional travel patterns are predicted with this model. Observed data are used to validate the model results. The potential of the application of HOV lanes to other radial highways is assed by using a modified cost benefit analysis. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p144&r=ure |
| By: | Graham Crampton |
| Abstract: | The large literature on the rank-size rule of city sizes has received rather inconsistent treatment in the European continent. Part of the problem has been the fact that (unlike the U.S.) there are inconsistent Census dates and no uniform definition of what is meant by an urban area. This paper uses data from a French research project which provides physical urban area data for a number of (not all) European countries, down to quite small minimum urban sizes. This allows international comparison of the usual Pareto estimation parameters, and also some examination of whether square or cubic terms are significant. The nature and economic basis of such non-linearities in the logarithmic rank-size relationship are of interest. The spatial nature of the urban size hierarchy has also been rather neglected recently, and much research in this area has virtually ignored the location of the cities, focusing solely on size. Appropriate treatment of nearby urban centres is a tricky empirical problem, as is the proper treatment of urban areas spreading across two or more countries. One of the main background economic motives for studying urban size hierarchies in Europe is to speculate on whether the development of the Eurozone may lead to movement towards a U.S.- type size distribution, which follows the rank-size rule rather well. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p185&r=ure |
| By: | Edwin Van Gameren; Michiel Ras; Evelien Eggink; Ingrid Ooms |
| Abstract: | We investigate the effect of subsidies and levies on the behaviour of households on the Dutch housing market. Our primary interest lies in the effect on the tenure choice and on the levels of housing consumption for the whole population. The housing consumption level is not a priori defined. We chose a one-dimensional housing concept. Differences between market values may reflect differences in house characteristics, but may also stem from differences between markets. To find the ‘true’ levels of housing, we break up market values of houses into price and quantity, resulting in regional price indices for owner-occupied and rented houses separately. After correction for actual subsidies and levies (for the current tenure choice) and for imputed values (for the alternative choice), households face individually varying prices. We use a survey data set of about 60,000 Dutch households. Behaviour is estimated using a utility maximising consumption model with equations for both tenure choice and the consumption levels for owning respectively renting a house. The relation between choice and quantity is taken into account. The resulting price and income effects are in line with standard theory. Higher income gives a tendency towards owning rather than renting. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p327&r=ure |
| By: | Marina Van Geenhuizen |
| Abstract: | This paper fits into a new trend in empirical studies on agglomeration economies paying explicit attention to heterogeneity within innovative companies. The paper represents micro-level research, and is based on 21 in-depth case studies in a selected sample of young, innovative companies in the Netherlands. The selection criteria for sampling are derived from resource-based theory, e.g. age, size, corporate position, engaged in services or manufacturing industry. The selected sectors include mechatronics, biotechnology, ICT services and engineering services. In an attempt to identify causal factors and to identify different clusters of companies, we make use of rough set analysis, a method that typically fits small samples and qualitative data. Our research focuses on the importance perceived by company managers of a range of agglomeration advantages for the functioning of the company and on the perceived space in which the company could function satisfactorily. Based on our empirical explorations and given the theoretical positions of the selected case-studies, we arrive at the following findings (1) there is a divide of young, innovative companies into two, namely those facing a high level of importance (in large cities), and those facing a limited importance. In addition, network-based companies that outsource most of their activities to other companies may be facing no importance at all, potentially representing a third category; (2) the strongest factor influencing importance of agglomeration economies is corporate position, e.g. being a corporate spin-off or subsidiary (or not); (3) the spatial influence of agglomeration advantages tends to be broader than large cities only, but there are differences between the individual advantages, e.g. those working in a larger area of central cities, suburban places and medium-sized cities at larger distances, and those exclusively working in large cities or the largest city. Examples of the latter are a pool of young, internationally oriented labour force and direct access to the most advanced telecommunication infrastructure and services. The paper discusses the research design and the empirical outcomes and proposes various new hypotheses to be tested in large scale research. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p729&r=ure |
| By: | Jorgen Lauridsen; Morten Skak; Niels Erih Holm Nannerup |
| Abstract: | Theories on determinants of demand for owner occupied homes are summarised. An operational model which can be applied for empirical testing of theory is established. The model is estimated using Danish data. Theoretical determinants of the demand for owner occupied homes include social composition of population (age, social benefit receivers, household composition, civil status, education, nationality), economic ability (income), public regulation (regulation of house rent, housing subsidies, taxation), competition from alternative residence forms (measured by supply of subsidized housing), and population density. The data to be applied are aggregate data for 270 Danish municipalities, available annually for the period 1994-2004. An initial model specifies that the effects of the determinants are constant during the period 1994-2004. Presence of non-linearity, time trends, parametric instability and spatial spill-over are investigated and accounted for. Upon these adjustment, the empirical results generally confirm that the impacts of these determinants correspond to theory. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p238&r=ure |
| By: | Avigail Ferdman; Dani Shefer; Shlomo Bekhor |
| Abstract: | Light Rail Transit (LRT) has been gaining popularity as a means of decreasing private automobile dependency and thus reducing car pollutants, relieving congestion and enhancing community liveability. LRT is also perceived as an important generator of economic growth, mainly in old urban centers. Through the improvement of accessibility to CBDs (Central Business Districts) planners and decision makers expect to revitalize central cities' vis-a-vis the increasing competition from the growing suburban shopping malls. More specifically, the objective of this paper is to explore the complex relationship between transportation and land use by analyzing the optimal composition of land use around the proposed light rail stations. Density and diversity are the two most important characteristics of urban land use development. We examine changes in land use adjacent to the LRT stations in metropolitan Tel-Aviv, and their impact on the demand for total travel in particular. These changes include hypothetical scenarios of alternative land use compositions, densities and intensities of residential, employment, and commercial land uses. In order to measure the impact of these changes on travel, a demand model is calibrated. The traditional four-step transportation model is retrofitted with alternative land use density and diversity variables. Among these are: residential density, job-population balance etc. As such, the re¬structured model is more sensitive to the different hypothetical land use scenarios and is expected to predict ridership demand changes more accurately. The results have shown that some of the land use variables are extremely important for trip generation trends forecasts, especially trip attraction trends. Furthermore, the simulations of the various land use policies are able to display the spatial reaction of trip rates to land use function, density, degree of mix, and household characteristics. The results of this study could serve to better assess urban transportation ridership demands, especially since they serve as input for mode choice analyses. Moreover, by exploring this subject even further, planners and decision makers will be able to attain a clearer and more comprehensive picture of optimal land use patterns surrounding station areas, and in doing so, improving the quality of life of urban dwellers, commuters and visitors. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p401&r=ure |
| By: | Mette Deding; Trine Filges; Jos Van Ommeren |
| Abstract: | We test a number of hypotheses derived from search theory about spatial job and residential moving behaviour of two-earner households using data for Denmark. In line with theory, we demonstrate that residential mobility depends positively on the commuting distance of both spouses, but negatively on the distance between workplaces. Furthermore, job mobility depends positively on the worker's commuting distance, negatively on the spouse' s commuting distance and positively on the distance between workplaces. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p256&r=ure |
| By: | Jasper Willigers; Han Floor; Bert Van Wee |
| Abstract: | With the upcoming implementation of high-speed railway infrastructure in the Netherlands, interest has arisen in the spatial-economic effects this might have. Experiences with high-speed rail outside the Netherlands have shown that effects at a local or regional level can be important, due to relocation of employment within regions and cities. This paper focuses on this issue by presenting the results of discrete choice models for office location choice. Both stated choice data and revealed choice data are used. The discrete location choice models give information on to what extent the introduction of high-speed rail in the Netherlands can change the attractiveness of individual cities within the Randstad area on the one hand and of places within these cities on the other hand. As accessibility is an important concept in this topic, attention is given to the specification of accessibility indicators. Hereby, distinction is made between centrality and connectivity. Centrality refers to the position of a location within the transport network and relative to possible origins and destinations. Potential accessibility indicators based on a spatial interaction model are used to represent centrality. Connectivity refers to how well a location is connected to a transport network. Indicators for connectivity are for example the distance to the nearest railway station or motorway access ramp and also the level-of-service provided, such as the train frequency at a station. Furthermore, the paper focuses on a segmentation of employment that reflects this paper’s purpose of studying the influence of (high-speed) rail on location choices. Whereas accessibility by car is relevant for location choices of all types of office employment, accessibility by rail in general and accessibility by high-speed rail in particular seem important to more distinct groups of office employment. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p308&r=ure |
| By: | Ricardo Ruiz; Edson Domingues |
| Abstract: | There is considerable evidence to demonstrate that the industrial localization in developing countries shows high level of spatial concentration, and the industrial decentralization is quite restricted to few isolated regions. The aim of this paper is to analyze the Brazilian case to identify the industrial cores and to find out whether Brazil follows this conventional view on industrial location in developing countries. This study is based on a database that merges two sets of data: the first describes 35000 industrial firms, and the second has information on the economic, social and urban structure of 5500 cities (year 2000). Based on these datasets, the industrial cores and their respective peripheries are identified, classified, and discussed. The main preliminary conclusions are: (1) Brazil has several industrial cores with different scales, structures, and regional level of integration; (2) there are regions with growing industrial peripheries that are strongly tied to the primary cores; these are what we called “industrial axes”; (3) however, we also identified regions that did not manage to build peripheries able to assimilate spillovers generated by its industrial centers; these are the “industrial islands”. Our main conclusion is: the Brazilian economic space is a mixed case. It is not a set of disconnected or isolated industrial islands, but it is still behind a full regional economic integration. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p63&r=ure |
| By: | Jianquan Cheng; Frank Le Clercq; Luca Bertolini |
| Abstract: | The question to be investigated in the paper is how to characterize urban networks, taking both place-bound activities and (quality of) transport networks into account. The description should help formulate planning questions about the development of urban networks. Urban networks can morphologically be characterized as concentrations of land uses in a geographical area. Beyond this morphological description, places in the area can also be characterized by the amount and diversity of activities to be accessed by means of a physical transport network. So, each place can be valued in terms of opportunities within reach, depending on its links to the transport network, the attractiveness of activities within given travel time or costs, and spatial interaction with other places. The changes of activities at one place (e.g. amount of workers or jobs) can thus, in combination with changes in the transport network (e.g. travel speeds), influence the position of places elsewhere because of competition between places. The process of influence will be spatially diffused further. It indicates that spatial competition is a hidden determinant of an urban network. The paper will illustrate these different components of the urban network for the northern part of the Randstad Holland conurbation (the greater Amsterdam area) by means of different accessibility measures. The comparisons between the patterns of two urban networks (morphological and opportunity based, or ‘virtual’) can help explore the changing urban network, giving rise to planning questions such as: -what should be the planning aim for urban networks: making places more homogenous, more diverse or rather make them subject to (controlled) competitive developments? -improvements in the transport system may have more or less exogenous impacts on the competitive position of urban places. How should these impacts be acknowledged in transport planning? -are comprehensive planned (and controlled) interventions thinkable in urban networks, or are urban networks rather the outcome of adaptively evolving, and necessarily partial planning interventions, as those responding to traffic congestion, the need for urban expansion, changes in location preferences, etc.? Answers to these questions will be tentatively addressed to formulate a planning research agenda for urban networks. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p797&r=ure |
| By: | Hajime Takatsuka; Dao-Zhi Zeng |
| Abstract: | This paper examines a new economic geography model with multiple (three) industries and urban costs. The industries are asymmetric in their transport costs. The following results were obtained. First, if transport costs sufficiently decrease whereas commuting costs are constant, we have three stable location patterns; full dispersion, partial regional specialization, and complete regional specialization. Second, if commuting costs sufficiently decrease (resp. increase) whereas transport costs are constant, we have full agglomeration (resp. full dispersion). The cases with medium value of transport and commuting costs and with multiple (three) regions are analyzed by use of numerical simulation. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p448&r=ure |
| By: | Jan Jacob Trip |
| Abstract: | The combined effects of industrial decline and the development of a service economy currently bring about a change in urban economies. Accessibility, proximity and an attractive urban climate are considered important factors of urban competitiveness. These are all combined in railway station area, which is therefore considered a focus point of urban economic development. The paper investigates the role of station development projects in the perspective of these long-term social and institutional processes in contrast to the continuity found in a city’s estab-lished economic structure, prevailing policy arenas, objectives and cultures. It does so by means of an analysis of station development in Rotterdam, a manufacturing and seaport city now strug-gling to find ways to develop a competitive service economy. The paper draws a comparison with Rotterdam’s rival Amsterdam, showing that differences in present economic performance and urban development are partly rooted in different economic histories. The paper investigates to which extent these differences affect the role of major railway station redevelopment projects in both cities, and the way these projects are implemented. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p822&r=ure |
| By: | Signe Jauhiainen |
| Abstract: | There is empirical evidence (see e.g. Costa & Kahn 2000) that the educational background of both spouses has an effect on regional concentration. Finnish people have been migrating to urban regions. Especially higher education graduates prefer to live in cities. Because of this process human capital is concentrated in urban regions. Regional concentration of human capital can also be looked from a family perspective. A higher education graduate often has a spouse who has also graduated from university. In this situation the family moves to a region where they can find satisfying jobs. This study examines the residential choice of couples in which both spouses have higher education degree. The aim of this study is to find out where these couples live. In addition, families with different educational backgrounds are compared. The comparison might tell about the reasons of a family’s residential choice. Micro level data is used in empirical analysis. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p122&r=ure |
| By: | Byron F. Lutz |
| Abstract: | In the early 1990s, nearly forty years after Brown v. the Board of Education, three Supreme Court decisions dramaically altered the legal environment for court-ordered desegregation. Lower courts have released numerous school districts from their desegregation plans as a result. Over the same period racial segregation increased in public schools across the country -- a phenomenon which has been termed resegregation. Using a unique dataset, this paper finds that dismissal of a court-ordered desegregation plan results in a gradual, moderate increase in racial segregation and an increase in black dropout rates and black private school attendance. The increased dropout rates and private school attendance are experienced only by districts located outside of the South Census region. There is no evidence of an effect on white student along any dimension. |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2005-64&r=ure |
| By: | Cem Ertur; Wilfried Koch |
| Abstract: | This paper presents a theoretical model, based on the neoclassical growth literature, which explicitly takes into account technological interdependence among economies and examines the impact of location and neighborhood effects in explaining growth. Technological interdependence is supposed working through spatial externalities. The magnitude of the physical capital externalities at steady state, which is usually not identified in the literature, is estimated using a spatial econometric specification explaining the steady state income level. This spatially augmented Solow model yields a conditional convergence equation which is characterized by parameter heterogeneity. A locally linear spatial autoregressive specification is then estimated. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p651&r=ure |
| By: | Ryohei Nakamura |
| Abstract: | Agglomeration economies are usually divided into two categories: urbanization economies and localization economies. In 80fs a number of attempts have been devoted to estimate urbanization economies and/or localization economies. After the work by Glaeser et al. in 1992, however, historical effects on agglomeration called dynamic externalities in agglomeration are tried to estimate extensively. These externalities are named as MAR in a dynamic sense, and traditional agglomeration economies are evaluated in static sense. Besides urbanization and localization, more traditional sources of industrial concentration are found in industrial linkages, such as customer and supplier linkages or backward and forward linkages. These linkage effects come from the concentration of different kinds of industries while localization economies mean the benefit from the concentration of firms within the same industry. Also, linkage effects are often referred as pecuniary externalities. This paper tries to construct an estimable model of linkage effects among industries as well as agglomeration economies, and to estimate these effects separately within a framework of the Translog production function. In this model intermediate inputs play an important role as linkage effects. The empirical analysis is based on two-digit data for manufacturing industries in Japanese cities. Estimated results vary significantly among the two-digit industries. Furthermore, in order to capture dynamic effect in changes of agglomeration, a time variant production function model which is consistent to static production function model is constructed and estimated. From the time series evidence we find agglomeration economies are decreasing while linkage effects are still important. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p768&r=ure |
| By: | Wouter Vermeulen; Jos Van Ommeren |
| Abstract: | The empirical wage curve literature has demonstrated that workers in high-unemployment regions earn less. At the same time, many labour markets, especially in Europe, are characterised by persistent regional unemployment differentials and a low interregional labour mobility rate. It is argued in this paper that workers in high-unemployment regions are compensated in the housing market, which discourages migration to low-unemployment regions. We derive a multiregional efficiency wage model allowing for endogenous land prices, and therefore house prices, as well as endogenous lot sizes. It is shown that in high-unemployment regions, land prices are lower and lot sizes are larger. Therefore, aggregate regional house price data misrepresent the compensating differential. Employing a Dutch housing demand survey, we show that attribute corrected house prices and rents are 10.4 respectively 2.4 percent lower when regional unemployment is one percent higher. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p204&r=ure |
| By: | Lipps, Garth |
| Abstract: | Early adolescence is a time of rapid social, cognitive, and physical change. For some youth, these changes can make this period a vulnerable point in development. Adding to the stress, some students transfer from an elementary school to a middle school or to a comprehensive high school. While the impact on youth of moving to a higher level of schooling has been the focus of intense research and debate in the United States, surprisingly little research has been conducted examining how Canadian youth make this transition within the context of Canadian schools. With this in mind, this paper examines the academic, behavioural and emotional adjustment of Canadian adolescents who transfer from an elementary school to a middle or comprehensive high school and compares their outcomes to those of a group of youth who did not change schools. Results of several statistical analyses suggest that changing schools had little systematic association to adolescents' academic outcomes. This held true regardless of whether the school was a middle school or a comprehensive high school. Similarly, transferring to a middle school had little negative association to adolescents' emotional and behavioural outcomes. Indeed, with respect to social aggression, the analyses suggested that students in middle schools may use indirect or socially directed aggression less frequently than students who remained in elementary school. However, transferring directly from an elementary school to a comprehensive high school appeared to have some negative emotional consequences. Youth who moved directly from an elementary school to a high school reported greater symptoms of physical stress. Further, female students who directly transfer to high schools at ages 12 and 13, reported higher levels of depressive affect than female adolescents who remained in an elementary school. |
| Keywords: | Education, Social conditions, Students, Social behaviour |
| Date: | 2005–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2005242e&r=ure |
| By: | Peer Smets |
| Abstract: | Today there is a widespread fear of crime on a global scale. This can be seen as a response to social inequalities, social polarisation and the fragmentation of cities, which has been caused by neo-liberalism. Worldwide, an increasing number of higher income groups have looked to security measures, such as cameras, fences, walls and gates, to separate themselves from other people in the city. These physical measures, in combination with hired guards, replace the ‘older’ social control mechanisms, which are based on social cohesion within the community concerned. One may question whether those living in gated ‘communities’ indeed feel responsible for other urbanites. In other words, will such a hard closure (physically-marked segregation) lead to soft closure, reflected in social-cultural and political segregation. What is the impact of the lifestyle(s) of those living in gated communities on the dynamics of the city, urban identity and urban governance? |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p403&r=ure |
| By: | Vicente Royuela; Jordi Suriñach |
| Abstract: | Optimal City Size Theory has been superseded by new paradigms, such as the supply-oriented dynamic approach or the city network. Nevertheless, several aspects remain to be considered. First, the quality of life concept, which in many models enters into utility functions of households, can be addressed in a different way. Secondly, the bi-directional relationship between amenities and disamenities on the one hand and city size on the other needs to be considered. Both these points are empirically tested with instrumental variables in a local dynamic framework, the 314 municipalities belonging to the province of Barcelona (Spain), in the period 1991-2000. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p519&r=ure |
| By: | Alberto Dalmazzo; Guido De Blasio |
| Abstract: | Recent literature has aimed at evaluating human capital externalities by estimating the effect of human capital on wages at urban level. We argue that this methodology might not identify properly human capital spillovers. We consider a general equilibrium model based on Roback (1982) where both wages and rents are simultaneously determined at the local level. We show that human capital externalities cannot be identified unless the joint effect of local human capital on both wages and rents is considered. Empirically, we study the effects of local human capital on household-level rents and individual-level wages for a sample of Italian local labor markets. Our results show a positive and robust effect of local human capital on rents. This unambiguously demonstrates that the concentration of human capital at the local level generates positive externalities. As for the relative importance of consumption and production externalities, our results suggest that the two effects have a similar impact on wages. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p628&r=ure |
| By: | Eric Koomen; Jasper Dekkers; Mark Koetse; Piet Rietveld; Henk Scholten |
| Abstract: | The metropolitan landscape consists of green, open areas adjacent to and enclosed by the urban environment. Changes in this landscape are a delicate matter, because they affect sustainability, the environment and the scenic quality, as we see in processes like urban sprawl, intensive outdoor recreation, city expansion and additional investments in infrastructure. More precisely, changes in the supply of open space, both in absolute terms (acreage) and its accessibility are a major concern around metropolitan areas. The lack of a clear monetary value makes green, open areas vulnerable to construction activities and infrastructure. Such use of open space entails the imposition of externalities of certain actors on others, but since the market value of open space does not fully reflect the societal value of open space, these externalities are market failures that call for corrective measures by the public sector in the form of land use interventions or pricing measures. However, as it turns out, failure of the governmental correction impedes effective market co-ordination. Unfortunately, attempts to value open space are virtually non-existent to date. Partly because the valuation of severance and visual intrusion is hampered by many complications, especially difficulties in objective quantification, uncertainties on the impacts on human and ecological communities, and collinearity with other pressures on the metropolitan open space (for example noise disturbance from infrastructure). The development of a research method for the valuation of open space will therefore be an important objective of the project. Incorporation of the public interest in open space in metropolitan planning requires quantitative valuation of this asset. The difficulty with such a valuation is of course that environmental and general societal values are normally not traded on real world markets, and hence no market prices can be observed that would reflect or approximate marginal costs or benefits. An environmental-economic framework will be used to quantify the ecological, economic and societal values of open space in a coherent way. Two complementary methods will be used: revealed preference and stated preference valuation. As it will not be possible to estimate economic values for all different dimensions of open space, the program focuses on those aspects that can be related to the appreciation of individual residents of the metropolitan landscape. These are the so-called ‘use values’ that humans attach to open space on the basis of their own, direct interest. This focus means that for instance so-called ‘intrinsic’ environmental values (referring for example to habitat fragmentation and indirectly biodiversity) will be postponed to future research. The program will more specifically concentrate on the added value of the availability of open space on residential property and the valuation of cultural and recreational characteristics of open space by potential visitors. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p599&r=ure |
| By: | Jaap Vleugel |
| Abstract: | Land is regarded as an important location factor by business firms. Firms change location due to internal and external factors and these changes should be accommodated by spatial reservations, subsequent land development and finally building of offices, plants or transhipment sheds. Business use of land competes with other uses of land, such as housing, leisure or nature. Spatial planning tries to balance these demands. Its success depends on finding criteria to justify a certain balance between economic and ecological interests or between different economic interests. Land-use should be included into a discussion about environmental sustainability. Spatial optimization would come at the agenda of firms and governments more often than is the case now. Yet, there is the issue of economic dynamics, which could be reduced if not all demands for new land are accommodated, at least according to business. This paper introduces a research program into the linkages between regional-economic-and spatial planning. It discusses the main ideas of this research program. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p429&r=ure |
| By: | Yuri Yegorov; Oscar Mascarilla-i-Miro |
| Abstract: | The goal of this paper is theoretical analysis of the complex process of agglomeration of firms in space when cities are also competing for them. Positive spillovers tend firms to locate in the same area, while congestion effects limit this process. Thus, for any given city there exists an optimal number of firms. If there are fewer firms, we face competition under increasing returns to scale, with path dependence effects, described by W.B.Arthur (1994). Hence, if firms are relatively scarce, not all cities would be occupied by firms at optimal level. The problem of a firm is to choose an optimal city expecting rational behaviour of other firms. Such factor as office rent depend on city size, while wage cost and spillover effects depend also on the number of firms there. Firms choose to agglomerate in those cities where after optimal entry their profits will be maximized. Under certain conditions for parameter set, there exists an equilibrium allocation, where all firms are located in the cities with better parameters. Since cities are different, their attractiveness also differ. At present, London is the leader in attractiveness among European cities, while Barcelona, stays at the 7th position (Healey and Baker, 2001). But this situation is unstable and depends on city development. On empirical side, we analyse the potential effect of investment in infrastructure in Barcelona to improve its attractiveness. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p501&r=ure |
| By: | Wolfgang Loibl; Klaus Steinnocher; Tanja Tötzer; Christian Hoffmann |
| Abstract: | The paper discusses research carried out within the EU funded project GEOLAND. Settlement growth will be modelled for small towns in a polycentric semi-rural region without a defined core city and with competing municipal efforts to attract industries and population on either side of the Rhine - in Austria und Switzerland. The model region is the Austrian Rhine valley. In particular, the model simulates population migration and commercial start ups controlled by regional and local factors (attractiveness/constraints). The approach concentrates on a multi agent system to simulate regional migration and allocation decisions of households and companies causing built-up area densification and land-use change patterns. Thus the models virtual "game board" is a cellular landscape (of 50x50m cells) characterised by several grid cell layers, which comprises information from high resolution earth observation data of different historic dates and cell-related additional demographic and employment data from official statistics, further landscape attractiveness and workplace accessibility. The model takes into account different settlement development velocities due to different migration/commercial start-up attractiveness and considers further the effects of introducing or not introducing green belt protection areas to hinder settlement expansion. To examine, whether competing job offers in Switzerland influence migration decisions, 2 different spatial attractiveness surface layer sets are generated – one for the those people who want to work in Switzerland and one for those who remain working in Austria. The suitability and relevance of the attractiveness criteria is examined via regression models, which explain regional migration patterns through various attractiveness factors and workplace accessibility. The very local decision where to settle is carried out by local attractiveness surface layers considering suitability for housing or commercial sites on a block level. The model is validated by control runs for past decades comparing model results with satellite image land-use classification on a regional and on a local level with different statistical parameters on a municipality - and further on cell basis. Scenario-runs till 2020 are carried out using overall population and employment forecasts for the region as growth framework together with land use patterns, zoning restrictions und future work-place accessibility conditions estimated applying an assumed future road network. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p618&r=ure |
| By: | Schellenberg, Grant |
| Abstract: | This report looks at the distribution of recent immigrants in census metropolitan areas (CMAs), implications on public services in urban areas and the employment characteristics of immigrants. |
| Keywords: | Population and demography, Census of population |
| Date: | 2004–08–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp7e:2004003e&r=ure |
| By: | Heisz, Andrew; Larochelle-Côté, Sébastien |
| Abstract: | The report examined the location of jobs in 27 census metropolitan areas, paying particular attention to developments in Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa-Hull, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. It also analysed the modes commuters used to travel to work, emphasising public transit and car (as driver or passenger) commute modes. While Canadian metropolitan areas continue to be characterized by a strong concentration of jobs in the downtown core, employment grew faster in the suburbs of Canada's largest metropolitan areas than in the city centres between 1996 and 2001. One characteristic of increasing employment in suburban locations is the shifting of manufacturing activities from the core of the city to the suburbs. Retail trade also shifted away from the central core towards more suburban locations. Relatively few workers employed outside the city centre commuted on public transit, rather, most drove or were a passenger in a car. This tendency to commute by car increased the farther the job was located from the city centre. Furthermore commute patterns have become more complex, with growth in suburb-to-suburb commutes outpacing traditional commute paths within the city centre, and between the city centre and suburbs. Commuters travelling from suburb to suburb were also much more likely to drive than take public transit. Despite the decentralization of jobs occurring in the metropolitan areas, public transit did not lose its share of commuters between 1996 and 2001. While more car traffic headed to jobs in the suburbs, a larger share of commuters heading for the city centre took public transit. This kept the total share of commuters who took public transit stable between 1996 and 2001. The report also found that jobs in the downtown core were higher skilled and higher paid, and that earnings increased faster for jobs in the city centre between 1996 and 2001. The report uses the 1996 and 2001 censuses of Canada. |
| Keywords: | Travel and tourism, Commuting |
| Date: | 2005–06–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp7e:2005007e&r=ure |
| By: | Dagmar Haase |
| Abstract: | Currently, we observe diverging processes of growth and shrinkage in European Cities. Whereas in the 80ies and 90ies partially accelerated through the crash of the socialist system mostly urban growth and suburban development occurred in European Cities, today we find a general decline of population as well as an increase of aged people (as results of the demographic change in Europe and worldwide, Cloet 2003, Lutz 2001). These processes influence land use pattern (state of the environment) and land use changes in urban areas enormously. Land use pattern reflect the current socio-economic development of an urban area and give an idea of how the urban ecosystem is influenced by man. In doing so, for instance, surface sealing reduces the filtering and remediation capacity of soils and the water retention in general as well as minimises habitat quality for wetland species. At the same time, the ecosystem(s) provide so-called ecosystem services, benefits people obtain from ecosystems: water availability, drinking water, remediation and filtering of waste, places to settle, recreation facilities in nature and others. Their quantification enables to bring the change (availability/loss) of ecosystem services into relation with effective costs (economic sphere, Farber 2002, De Groot et al. 2002). The above mentioned population decline and related shrinkage processes will have enormous consequences on the demand and availability of ecosystem services needed to sustain a high and even increasing status of quality of life for European citizens in the next future. Therefore, the predictor variables describing on the one hand shrinkage-related land use changes and on the other its effects are most important but at the same time it is still a challenge; to extract such predictor variables from a huge catalogue of urban socio-economic and environmental indicators elaborated by many studies for different landscape types and scales; to derive relevant digital and spatially explicit data as model input to calculate the effects of land use (change) and; to validate the model results at the city and the quarter level (scale) as well as to prove the response of the (gained/released) ecosystem service (environmental quality) at the city and at quarter level (closing the circle). Here, the author will give some expressive examples showing the derivation of predictor variables for modelling peri-urban growth and inner city shrinkage as well as its effects on water balance, habitat quality (urban green network) and recreational space. Of major interest is the approach of how to tackle the problem of urban shrinkage in spatially explicit land use (change) modelling (Haase et al. 2004). |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p322&r=ure |
| By: | Sasha Thomas; Ian Robins |
| Abstract: | The economic performance of city-regions is closely linked to the performance of the national economy. However, the performance of the national economy can also depend on the performance of one or more major city-regions, that act as growth poles. Because of their sectoral structure and other characteristics, some cities are better equipped to become growth poles than others. This paper studies 46 major city-regions across Europe. The sectoral structure and changes in the sectoral structure of city-regions are studied using data from CE’s European Regional Database, itself based on Eurostat’s Regio database. The data analysis attempts to explain city-region performance by drawing parallels between sectoral structure and economic performance. The data analysis is supplemented by local anecdotal evidence provided by CE’s annual European reporting system ‘European Regional Prospects’, for example the historical importance of river and seafront activities. The paper goes on to discuss the extent to which the sectoral structure of cities can explain why some city-regions grow faster than others. The data analysis will be used to group cities in ‘hard’ typologies according to sectoral specialisation. These sectoral typologies are then compared with typologies according to the local, ‘softer’, evidence provided by CE’s regional consultants. This evidence will also be used to draw out the more subtle influences on city-region growth and these will be used to group cities in ‘soft’ typologies. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p588&r=ure |
| By: | Rossana Galdini |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the process of Urban Regeneration in Europe and examines the factors influencing this process as well as its implementation. Foundamental changes in the economy, technology, demography and politics are reshaping the environment for cities in Europe. These changes have induced a logic of competion in a dynamic and complex context. In the attempt to become and remain an attractive place for inhabitants, city users, businessmen and visitors, cities invent their own strategies, discovering that the policies of local governments need to be more marked-oriented with an eye to the city’s weaknesses and strenghts. Many historic cities in recent decades experienced redevelopment for new “postindustrial uses” often related to culture, tourism, technology. Such uses may offer the potential for creating more sustainable and liveable cities. Especially in old industrial areas, new politics, strategies and funds have been used for re-utilization of old industrial sites. Clear examples for this is Italian case studies like Genoa. In Genoa a programme for restructuring the old harbour areas, the waterfront and the historic centre has been set up. Genoa approaches functional specialisation as a more general element in its strategy for increasing economic competitiveness. The development of transport systems, services, infrastructures, promises considerable renovation of the urban functions with a significant growth in the economy linked to cultural activities and tourism. Regeneration programmes for de-industrialised areas have promoted the location and relocation of business investments as well as actions to improve a productive diversification. At present Genoa after a deep crisis, has regained a new identity and its role in the Italian economic and social system. This paper integrates three issues. First it describes some of the main features of pattern of urban development and the increase of competition, setting the scene for a more strategic action. Second analyzes the case study Genoa, an example of integrated urban development approach. Third attention is drawn on the way in which cities “create” their own image management, using actions that shown and reveal hidden resources. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p426&r=ure |
| By: | Dick Ettema; Aldrik Bakema; Harry Timmermans |
| Abstract: | It is increasingly recognised that land use change processes are the outcome of decisions made by individual actors, such as land owners, authorities, firms and households. As multi-agent models provide a natural framework for modelling urban processes on the level of individual actors, Utrecht University, Eindhoven University of Technology and RIVM are developing PUMA (Predicting Urbanisation with Multi-Agents), a full fledged multi-agent system of urban processes. PUMA consists of various modules, representing the behaviours of specific actors. The land conversion module describes farmers', authorities', investors' and developers' decisions to sell or buy land and develop it into other uses. The households module describes households' housing careers in relation to life cycle events (marriage, child birth, aging, job change etc.). The firms module includes firms' demography and their related demand for production facilities leading to location choice processes. The daily activity pattern module describes the trips made and locations visited by individuals to carry out certain tasks. This module generates aggregated effects of individual behaviours (congestion, pollution, noise), affecting households' or firms' longer term location decisions. The paper describes the model system architecture and the interactions between the modules. Particular attention is devoted to the households module that includes a behaviourally sophisticated model of households' process of awakening (deciding to actively search for another dwelling), search and acceptance of an offered dwelling. This model was calibrated on the Dutch Housing Preferences Survey. Based on the disaggregate housing search and acceptance model, the households module describes housing market dynamics and indicates the demand for new dwellings per region. The paper describes the model specification and calibration in detail. The households module was implemented and tested for the Northwing of the Dutch Randstad, including about 1.5 million households and 1.6 million dwellings. The paper describes the implementation and the first model results. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p281&r=ure |
| By: | Heisz, Andrew |
| Abstract: | The "Trends and Conditions in Census Metropolitan Areas" series of reports provides key background information on Canadian census metropolitan areas (CMAs) for the period 1981 to 2001. Based primarily on census data, this series provides substantial information and analysis on several topics: low income, health, immigration, culture, housing, labour markets, industrial structure, mobility, public transit and commuting, and Aboriginal people. This final assessment summarizes the major findings of the eight reports and evaluates what has been learned. It points out that the series has three key contributions. First, it details how place matters. Census metropolitan areas differ greatly in many indicators, and their economic and social differences are important factors that define them. Accordingly, policy prescriptions affecting cities may need to reflect this diversity. Second, the series contributes substantially to the amount of data and analysis needed to make accurate policy assessments of what may be ailing in Canada's largest cities and where each problem is most acute. Third, it provides benchmarks against which future data 'most notably data from the 2006 Census' can be examined. This summary also briefly discusses some subjects which were not covered in the series, identifying these as data gaps, or areas where more research is needed. |
| Keywords: | Social conditions, Population and demography, Families, Population characteristics |
| Date: | 2005–09–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp7e:2005009e&r=ure |
| By: | Tüzin Baycan-Levent; Aliye Ahu Gulumser |
| Abstract: | Gated housing areas have increasingly become a profitable segment in the real estate market as well as a new marketing angle for developers to meet the demand for security, status/prestige, and lifestyle. The development patterns of gated communities in many countries show that developers recognize the opportunity to sell safety and security to a niche market. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to investigate the development process of gated communities in a metropolitan city, Istanbul, from the perspective of developers. The data and information used for evaluation are based on the extensive survey questionnaires filled out by developers of gated communities. A “logistic regression method” is deployed to identify the most important factors on approaches and behaviors of developers. Therefore, the motivating factors both in the decision-making and production-marketing process of developers are evaluated. This evaluation enables us to highlight the characteristics of the real estate market. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p782&r=ure |
| By: | Bernardo Furtado |
| Abstract: | This quick essay aims to demonstrate the fundamental importance of the cost of producing and managing urban space from a developing country perspective. It also indicates, based upon vast literature, that the price of urban investments end up to have an expelling trend to citizens away from the benefits which they cannot afford. This paradox suggests a vice cycle in which the more the City invests the more expensive it becomes to its citizens who, helplessly, move out into unserviced neighborhoods. This paper ends with some suggestions to the problem. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p682&r=ure |
| By: | Leonie Janssen-Jansen; Melika Levelt |
| Abstract: | Regional planning initiatives emerge in response to a growing number of land use and related issues that transcent political and jurisdictional boundaries and often involve business and non-profit organizations. Cities are no longer central is planning discussions. Urban networks reflect better the new spatial dynamics. Regional planning strategies are sought to link the public and private spheres of this urban networks action. An important starting point is to organize relations between the relevant and different governmental bodies in the multi-level and multi agency society. How can the abundance of subterritorial governmental bodies be connected, especially within the light of decentralisation processes that are going on? In addition an important question is how this public sphere can be linked to the sphere of private regional action. What are important elements in strategies of ‘organizing connectivity’? Will ‘pragmatic regionalism with a purpose’ be an interesting strategy? In the light of this growing interest in acting regionally, this paper offers insights in motives for such regionalism. A framework to identify and promote best practices for regional collaboration, with attention for vertical as well as horizontal connectedness within the public sphere, as well as linking this public to the private sphere of regional action will be central. Several motives and principles that might be beneficiary for regional collaboration are dealt with. The case of Schiphol and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, as an important international transport cluster, will function as illustration. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p292&r=ure |
| By: | Joyce Dargay; Jos Van Ommeren |
| Abstract: | Although urban economics theory predicts that households with higher incomes have different commuting time patterns than low income households, the direction of the effect is ambiguous. From a “value of time” perspective, one can argue that high income households may have shorter commuting times because their time is more precious; thus they choose to live closer to the job and are willing to pay for faster modes of travel. However, it can alternatively be argued that they may have longer commuting times, because they desire and can afford more living space and a higher quality of housing than is available or affordable in closer proximity to employment centres. Empirical testing of these alternative hypotheses is not straight forward because income, itself, is determined by commuting time as workers are willing to travel further for higher wages. This reverse causation must be taken into account in the estimation, but this is often problematic due to a lack of good control variables. In the current paper, we employ panel data to overcome these problems. To deal with reversed causation we only select workers who did not change workplace location during the period. For these workers, changes in commuting time resulting from an income change come about either through a change in residential location or a change in travel mode. In addition, by estimating the effect of annual income changes on commuting time changes, the necessity of good control variables is avoided. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p593&r=ure |
| By: | Thomas S. Nielsen; Henrik Harder Hovgesen |
| Abstract: | The paper is an offspring from the Research project Town, Road and Landscape that aims to assess the effect of the Danish motorway network (specifically the last 20 years) on urban growth and interaction patterns. As one of the main interests of the project is the changing urban form and the changing character of the roadscape, the impact of the motorway is in part analysed with micro level data, spatial statistics and GIS – to allowing mapping of changing development trends in motorway corridors. The paper presents analysis of the impact of motorway openings on urban form in two Danish motorway corridors. The analysis is based on a before and after perspective – where the building activity and its location (building register with address coordinates) after the opening of the motorway is compared to building activity in the years before the construction of the motorway. Preliminary results suggest that the motorway most markedly influences the location of non-residential building activities within the city – in favour of locations near the entrance points to/from the motorway network. The development can be explained in part by municipal planning, which in some instances has opened up the new locations for development far ahead of market demand – and in part by an increasing demand for exposed and accessible sites for business development which still seems to be in its beginning. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p377&r=ure |
| By: | Jian Zhang; Hiroyuki Shibusawa; Yuzuru Miyata |
| Abstract: | We are surely faced with the unavoidable problem as an element of important restrictions of development of human beings. It must be required to be solved immediately. It also brought the economic concerns to academic fields long ago. The positive and negative impacts of environmental and ecological changes are concerned the shift to a circulated type society from the conventional society. It is required by the end of today when the environmental problem in a global scale is aggravating. The view of the compact city of energy and resources saving is observed in recent years. The research on the balance of environmental load and urban growth needs to attract attention. In this paper, we consider a problem concerning the relationship between the spatial efficiency and the sustainability in an urban system. An urban model with natural environment is constructed to examine the possibility of such future urban forms. The idea of compact city offers us an important concept for sustainability. Our approach is based on the urban economic framework. Urban models, which have been developed since the 1970s, are classified into two categories, static and dynamic models. We adopt the framework of the dynamic urban model. In our study, the dynamic urban economic model with natural environment is built. The optimal control is applied into our numerical computation and the simulation analysis of the model is performed under several scenarios. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p280&r=ure |
| By: | Marco Mundelius; Wencke Hertzsch |
| Abstract: | In addition to a distinct regional concentration of the branch in a few, large metropolitan areas in Germany, Berlin shows inner-city (inner-regional) concentrations of the music industry and its players linked with the value chain as well as branch-relevant institutions. By means of a written survey of companies in the media and IT industries in Berlin and Brandenburg plus expert interviews, an analysis of the Berlin music branch, regarding its spatial as well as organizational concentration and how this concentration is perceived by companies, has been carried out. A comparison of the results within the branch and with the Brandenburg region can be made on the basis of a differentiation of the media branch in the analysis. This analysis found that creative milieus are of particular importance as they perform the role of being the driving force in developing the field of music. Therefore this paper examines spillovers into this industry, as a first step of spatial concentration in terms of networks of music companies, institutions, and the specific and innovative milieu and the geographical dimension of knowledge. Furthermore, evidence has been found through the use of economic and socio-cultural indicators. Urbanization economies become especially clear (apparent) for the region in the examination of Berlin’s music industry with their intersectoral integration and cross-sectoral stimilus to settlement and formation of companies. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p534&r=ure |
| By: | Wilfried Koch |
| Abstract: | Recent theoretical and empirical work generally often focus on the interdependence of nations and regions underlying that the economy of one country or region is not independent of the economies of others. However, these models generally ignores the impact of location and neighborhood in explaining growth. This paper presents an augmented Solow model that includes spatial externalities and spatial interdependence among economies. We obtain a spatial econometric reduce form which allows testing the effects of the rate of saving and the rate of population growth on income per capita. Finally, we use the propriety of spatial multiplier effect in order to evaluate the impact of a shock on saving rate on european regional disparities. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p723&r=ure |
| By: | Raffaele Paci; Stefano Usai |
| Abstract: | In the recent years a vast body of literature has analysed the role of agglomeration economies on industry location and growth. Such literature has, however, paid not too much attention to the wider scenario where such phenomena are rooted, that of an ongoing process of structural change which is transforming our economies from manufacturing to service ones. The main objective of this paper is to assess the role of a large set of potential determinants of the process of local agglomeration of economic activity distinguishing between manufacturing and service sectors and also to analyse the issue of spatial association of the local growth process. We focus on the case of Italy making use of a very ample database on socio-economic indicators for 784 Local Labour Systems and 34 sectors over the period 1991-2001. Our database covers both the manufacturing and the service sectors so that the whole economic system is considered. Our econometric results show that local growth in Italy is not a homogeneous process. On the contrary, it is characterized by significant differences across macro regions and especially across sectors. Among the most important determinants of local industry growth, it is worth mentioning the positive role of the diversity externalities. We also find robust evidence of the negative influence of specialisation externalities on labour dynamics at the local industry level. Moreover, we have assessed the effects of other determinants of local growth like human capital, social environment and network externalities. Finally, the presence of spatial autocorrelation is detected for the aggregate economy and also in several sectors and therefore dynamic spatial models have been estimated. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p46&r=ure |
| By: | Toshiaki Takita |
| Abstract: | This paper aims to develop a new spatial economic model for analyzing information flow between head and branch offices. The hierarchy between head and branch offices is modeled, and a way of treating information flow is proposed. Broadband Internet enables both home and office to send and receive much more information using personal computers, and the resulting changes and possibilities deserve analysis. This paper sets out how to decide the location of the head office and some branch offices, and the allocation of all employees and computers to head and branch offices. Also, an inter-regional Information Input-Output Table (Information IO Table) is proposed to express the information flow between the head office and the branch offices and between those offices and other enterprises. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p684&r=ure |
| By: | Ninette Pilegaard; Morten Marott Larsen; Jos Van Ommeren |
| Abstract: | In this paper we study how congestion and residential moving behaviour are interrelated using a two-region job search model. We demonstrate that depending on the amount of commuting and residential moving between regions, a congestion tax may lead to both welfare losses and gains. In the analysis of optimal location of households it is often assumed that households may move residence at no costs. The model developed in this paper allows for incomplete information in the labour market combined with residential moving behaviour and positive residential moving costs. We examine welfare consequences of both homogenous and heterogeneous moving costs. Workers choose optimally between interregional commuting and residential moving to live closer to the place of work. This choice affects the external costs of commuting due to congestion. Therefore, road pricing (or congestion taxes) may not only reduce congestion but also increase total residential moving costs in the economy. One of the main consequences is that the road tax does not necessarily increase welfare. In some cases, the assumption of moving costs (homogenous or heterogeneous) has implications for the interpretation of the results. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p520&r=ure |
| By: | Dani Shefer; Haim Aviram |
| Abstract: | Economic evaluation of transport projects relies primarily on the impact of the project on road users. Economic benefits are calculated from the reduction in the aggregate value of time saved by the transport users as well as saving on vehicle operation costs. Most often the analysis assumes fix demand. Major mass transit, like the new Light Rail Transit (LRT), currently being proposed for the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area in Israel, is anticipated to generate substantial new traffic. This new traffic generation will most likely enhance the agglomeration forces at work in major urban concentration. Agglomeration economies could shift upward the production function of the metropolitan area, thus generating substantial additional benefits accrued to the transport project. In this paper we present the methodology used in the estimation of the benefits derived from agglomeration economies induced by the proposed new Light Rail Transit in the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area. We estimate the increase in the number of employees in the CBD due to the proposed LRT and their potential contribution to the total annual production of the CBD. Agglomeration economies could add a significant amount of additional benefit to the transport project. The extend of these benefits, in our case study, increased the benefit-cost ratio from 1.15 to 1.40. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p133&r=ure |
| By: | Guillaume Pouyanne |
| Abstract: | The influence of land use on daily mobility patterns can be described by the two dimensions of urban form : the first is quantitative, that is density, and the second is qualitative, that is land use mix. Empirical studies usually add control variables such as socio-demographic characteristics. They suppose that urban form factors and socio-demographic factors have a separate influence on travel patterns. In this paper, we first show the possibility of a causal relationship between urban form and socio-demographic characteristics. Thus previous results, which suppose that these two kinds of factors are separated, may be biased. As a consequence we provide a new, more complex conceptual framework, which is called the « triangular relationship ». It implies specific econometric methods to test the motives of mobility : typological regressions are used for an application on the metropolitan area of Bordeaux. First results show how relevant this method is for the study of the interactions between land use and travel patterns. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p84&r=ure |
| By: | Hou, Feng |
| Abstract: | This study examines the expansion of visible minority neighbourhoods in Canada's three largest metropolitan areas from 1981 to 2001. |
| Keywords: | Social conditions, Population and demography, Families, Population characteristics, Social behaviour |
| Date: | 2004–07–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2004221e&r=ure |
| By: | Pedro Moyano; Beatriz Fariña; Guillermo Aleixandre; Olga Ogando |
| Abstract: | The behaviour of enterprises in terms of their spatial distribution is increasingly drawing the attention of regional science, due to the fact that regional economic development is the result of the complex interaction of various factors, key amongst which is entrepreneurial demography. Yet, as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has recognised, few empirical studies have addressed the link between new enterprises and economic change at a local scale, despite entrepreneurs constituting one means of creating employment and increasing local community wealth. Within this context, this paper pinpoints those factors that determine the birth of new enterprises at a local scale, focusing on towns in the Spanish Autonomous Region of Castilla y León. The information used was gathered from the approximately 15 000 companies set up between 2001 and 2003 in the 270 towns with over 1 000 inhabitants in the region, and whose creation as a company was published in the Official Journal of the Trade Register Office. The approach used is based on the link between entrepreneurial capacity and regional economic growth, prior to an analysis of regional differences in the setting up of companies within the Spanish economy. Subsequently, a detailed analysis is made of the factors that influence the creation of new enterprises in towns in Castilla y León, through the use of a regression model which, amongst other conclusions, attributes the emergence of enterprises to a large extent to the presence of agglomeration economies and urban growth. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p516&r=ure |
| By: | Dimitrios Economou; Maria Vrassida |
| Abstract: | Traditionally coastal cities had a role as trading ports or gates of entry connecting the hinterland other parts of the world or the country, and acting as points of departure or arrival for goods and people. Trade and industry, were the spine of the economy for many years and a network was created between ports and coastal cities in order to move people (workforce), goods, and materials. Tourism is a dynamic spontaneous phenomenon, which creates opportunities for many coastal cities to participate in a different network of exchange. Tourism is considered an activity that does not create networks in the traditional sense but as mobility increases information and familiarity could pose as a new kind of connection between coastal cities. This paper aims to explore the structure and dynamics of such a network at an inter-intra regional level. The focus is on coastal cities since they are very popular tourism destinations and they account for the majority of visits in Europe. Reference will be made to the Greek middle size coastal cities since many of their traditional activities are degrading, they already attract a large number of visitors and they provide the opportunity for regeneration through tourism. The paper will be based on a questionnaire survey of visitors conducted during the summer months (June-August 2003) in Volos a middle size coastal city in Greece. The questionnaire is part of a broader survey of tourism in Volos aiming to explore tourism characteristics, flows and to evaluate the tourism product of the city. This network relationship will be examined in terms of complementary and competition and the impacts on city-region relations. Finally the policy implications and the potential for expanding and planning this network in order to contribute and promote sustainable development of coastal cities will be explored. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p674&r=ure |
| By: | Helge Sanner |
| Abstract: | This study examines in which cases economic forces or historical singularities prevail in the determination of the spatial distribution of retail shops. We develop a relatively general model of location choice in discrete space. The main force towards an agglomerated structure is the reduction of transaction costs for consumers if retailers are located closely, whilst competition and transport costs work towards a disperse structure. We assess the importance of the initial conditions by simulating the resulting distribution of shops for identical economic parameters but varying initial settings. If the equilibrium distributions are similar we conclude that economic forces have prevailed, while dissimilarity indicates that 'history' is more important. The (dis)similarity of distributions of shops is calculated by means of a metric measure. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p175&r=ure |
| By: | Taede Tillema; Bert Van Wee; Dick Ettema |
| Abstract: | Road pricing policies are, after a cooling down period of a couple of years, again prominently back on the political agenda in the Netherlands. But also in the period of less political interest, research in the field of (road) pricing policies continued in other countries as well as in the Netherlands. Most research literature focuses on the economic and acceptability aspects of pricing policies. The geographical aspects of transport pricing however have received much less attention so far. This paper focuses on possible influences of road pricing policies on residential and work location choice of households. The paper starts with analyzing the importance of transport and location related variables in residential location decisions, when the choice to relocate itself has been made. For this analysis data from a stated choice experiment is used. Choice screens within the experiment consisted of two alternatives. In total, per respondent nine choice screens were shown. Transport related variables within the experiment were commuting travel time, fuel cost and toll cost. The location related variables consisted of the residential environment, the number of bedrooms and the monthly housing costs. Analysis of the results gives insight into the importance of for example toll costs on the final location choice when a decision to relocate itself has already been made. However this type of analysis does not give insight into the number of people who are actually considering changing location when a form of road pricing is introduced. Therefore the second part of the paper continues with analyzing the extent to which people are likely to relocate due to road pricing. The effect of different types of pricing measures and pricing levels on this inclination to relocate are examined. For the analysis, data from a stated preference questionnaire is used. The paper finally concludes with an examination of important explaining variables for moving house or changing job due to road pricing. Some important findings are for example that older people (above 40 years of age), people with a higher income and persons getting a travel cost compensation from their employer are less willing to move due to a pricing measure. People with a higher education level however are more willing to relocate. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p309&r=ure |
| By: | Ivana Rasic-Bakaric; Marijana Sumpor; Jelena Sisinacki |
| Abstract: | Who should take care of local economic development in Croatia? This question seems trivial, however, there are still some open questions. According to current legislation, local economic development is an administrative task of the 21 counties, the current units of regional self-government. On the other hand, the cities and municipalities as units of local self-government regularly get involved in economic development activities, though this is not directly defined in the legislation. There is a contradiction concerning development capacity of cities and counties. Cities attract population and economic activity and are usually stronger than counties in terms of financial and human resources that are necessary for economic development activities. This research will question if the existing administrative-territorial setup and functions of counties in Croatia correspond to the needs of economic growth and development on local level. It is also intended to get some insights from contemporary concepts that derive from trade theory, location theory and economic geography. Governance relations between bigger cities and counties in fostering local economic development in Croatia will be examined. For this purpose, local and regional data will be analyzed and through the discussion on existing governance structures, qualitative insights on the appropriateness of the current situation will be presented. The main goal of this research paper is to find quantitative and qualitative justification for an appropriate governance structure for fostering local economic development in Croatia. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p391&r=ure |
| By: | Manfred M. Fischer; Thomas Scherngell; Eva Jansenberger |
| Abstract: | The focus in this paper is on knowledge spillovers between high-technology firms in Europe, as captured by patent citations. High-technology is defined to include the ISIC-sectors aerospace (ISIC 3845), electronics-telecommunication (ISIC 3832), computers and office equipment (ISIC 3825), and pharmaceuticals (ISIC 3522). The European coverage is given by patent applications at the European Patent Office that are assigned to high-technology firms located in the EU-25 member states, the two accession countries Bulgaria and Romania, and Norway and Switzerland. By following the paper trail left by citations between these high-technology patents we adopt a Poisson spatial interaction modelling perspective to identify and measure spatial separation effects to interregional knowledge spillovers. In doing so we control for technological proximity between the regions, as geographical distance could be just proxying for technological proximity. The study produces prima facie evidence that geography matters. First, geographical distance has a significant impact on knowledge spillovers, and this effect is substantial. Second, national border effects are important and dominate geographical distance effects. Knowledge flows within European countries more easily than across. Not only geography, but also technological proximity matters. Interregional knowledge flows are industry specific and occur most often between regions located close to each other in technological space. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p5&r=ure |
| By: | Christiana Stoddard; Peter Kuhn |
| Abstract: | Beyond some contracted minimum, salaried workers' hours are largely chosen at the worker's discretion and should respond to the strength of contract incentives. Accordingly, we consider the response of teacher hours to accountability and school choice laws introduced in U.S. public schools over the past two decades. Total weekly hours of full-time teachers have risen steadily since 1983 by about an hour, and after-school instructional hours have increased 34 percent since 1987. Average hours and the rate of increase also vary widely across states. However, after accounting for a common time trend in hours, we find no association between the introduction of accountability legislation and the change in teacher hours. We conjecture that the weak link between effort and compensation in most school reforms helps explain the lack of such an association. |
| JEL: | I21 I28 J22 J44 J45 |
| Date: | 2006–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11970&r=ure |
| By: | Michiel De Bok; Michiel Bliemer |
| Abstract: | Existing integrated land use transport interaction models simulate the level of employment in (aggregated) zones and lack the individual firm as a decision making unit. This research tries to improve the behavioural foundation of these models by applying a firm demographic modelling approach that first of all accounts for the individual firm as a decision making unit and secondly represents the urban system with high spatial detail. A firm demographic approach models transitions in the state of individual firms by simulating transitions and events such as the relocation decision, growth or shrinkage of firms or the death of a firm. Important advantage of such a decomposed approach is that it offers the opportunity to account for accessibility in each event in the desired way. The firm demographic model is linked to an urban transport model in order to obtain a dynamic simulation of mobility (and accessibility) developments. The paper describes the firm demographic model specifications as well as the interaction of the model with the urban transport model. The integrated simulation model can be used to analyse the effects of different spatial and transport planning scenarios on the location of economic activities and mobility. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p664&r=ure |
| By: | Beckstead, Desmond; Brown, Mark |
| Abstract: | This paper describes per capita employment income disparities across provinces and across the urban-rural continuum, from larger to small cities and between cities and rural areas. Its first objective is to compare the degree of income disparities across provinces to income disparities across the urban-rural continuum. Its second objective is to determine the extent to which provincial disparities can be tied to the urban-rural composition of provinces. The paper also seeks to determine whether urban-rural disparities in per capita employment income stem from poorer labour market conditions in smaller cities and rural areas compared to large cities. |
| Keywords: | National accounts, Labour, Economic conditions, Salaries and wages |
| Date: | 2005–07–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp2e:2005012e&r=ure |
| By: | Morten Marott Larsen; Bjarne Madsen; Chris Jensen-Butler |
| Abstract: | In this working paper the regional impacts of road pricing on cars are analysed taking into account externality effects from transportation on wages and productivity. In the paper the direct impacts from changes in transport costs on level of wages and productivity (=direct externality effects) have been estimated. The direct and derived impacts of road pricing have been analysed with AKF’s local economic model LINE and include the impacts on regional production, income and employment. LINE is an interregional general equilibrium model, which uses an interregional social accounting matrix (SAM-K) and a regional transport satellite account as the basis for modelling. Additionally, data from a GIS-system (Technical University of Copenhagen) on transport costs have been included to estimate the demand for transport commodities and increase in transport demand and costs due to road pricing. The direct effects on level of wages and productivity have been included into the model together with all the direct effects on commodity prices from road pricing. In the working paper the total impacts of road pricing have been subdivided into 2 components: 1) The wage effects of reducing income net of commuting of increasing transport cost by introduction of road pricing, 2) the labour contraction effect from increasing wages through increase in commuting cost and 3) the negative productivity effects of introducing road pricing. In total the impacts of road pricing are substantial. Regions with high level of average commuting cost (suburban areas in Greater Copenhagen) suffers most, whereas the centre of Copenhagen suffers least because of short commuting distances. In rural areas impacts are on or just below average because low level of road pricing. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p198&r=ure |
| By: | Atila Abdulkadiroglu; Parag Pathak; Alvin E. Roth; Tayfun Sonmez |
| Abstract: | In July 2005 the Boston School Committee voted to replace the existing Boston school choice mechanism with a deferred acceptance mechanism that simplifies the strategic choices facing parents. This paper presents the empirical case against the previous Boston mechanism, a priority matching mechanism, and the case in favor of the change to a strategy-proof mechanism. Using detailed records on student choices and assignments, we present evidence both of sophisticated strategic behavior among some parents, and of unsophisticated strategic behavior by others. We find evidence that some parents pay close attention to the capacity constraints of different schools, while others appear not to. In particular, we show that many unassigned students could have been assigned to one of their stated choices with a different strategy under the current mechanism. This interaction between sophisticated and unsophisticated players identifies a new rationale for strategy-proof mechanisms based on fairness, and was a critical argument in Boston's decision to change the mechanism. We then discuss the considerations that led to the adoption of a deferred acceptance mechanism as opposed to the (also strategy-proof) top trading cycles mechanism. |
| JEL: | C7 I2 |
| Date: | 2006–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11965&r=ure |
| By: | Corak, Miles; Lauzon, Darren |
| Abstract: | This paper adopts the decomposition technique of DiNardo, Fortin and Lemieux (DFL, 1996) to decompose provincial differences in the distribution of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test scores and assesses the relative contribution of provincial differences in the distribution of "class size" and time-in-term, other school factors and student background factors. Class size and time-in-term are both important school choice variables and we examine how provincial achievement differences would change if the Alberta distribution of class size and time-in-term prevailed in the other provinces. Results differ by province, and for provinces where mean achievement gaps would be lower, not all students would benefit. |
| Keywords: | Education, Students |
| Date: | 2005–11–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2005270e&r=ure |
| By: | Vanessa Eve Daniel; Raymond J.G.M. Florax; Piet Rietveld |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this article is to explore the determinants of the implicit price of the risk of flooding. We carry out a meta-analysis on estimates resulting from the application of hedonic price models. The variable under scrutiny is the relative change in the price of a house located in a floodplain when compared to a house located outside a floodplain, per level of risk (the reference level being the 100-year floodplain). It appears that the choice of specification of hedonic price models affects the variability between estimates. Factors related to the exploitation of spatial characteristics of the data do also play a role. Besides, a higher level of income goes together with a lower implicit price of risk, as it can be a proxy for a lower vulnerability to material loss. Finally it appears that specific attention has to be paid to the perceived level of risk; elements affecting the perception of individuals on the effective risk of flooding and allowing them to update their perception of the level of risk explain variability between estimates. In areas where a flood recently took place, the relative change in the price of a house due to flood risk is larger than in areas not affected. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p447&r=ure |
| By: | Isabel Mota; António Brandão |
| Abstract: | In this essay, we intend to evaluate the importance of R&D (Research and Development) activities for firms' decision about location. For that purpose, we use micro-level data for the Portuguese industrial sector and focus on the location choices made by new starting firms during 1992-2000 within 275 municipalities. We consider two samples: the first one includes the entire manufacturer sector, while the second one restricts for those industrial branches that were R&D intensive. The set of explanatory variables includes a group of technological variables, such as R&D expenditures and human capital stock, as well as other explanatory variables that account for location specific characteristics and that are traditionally stressed by urban and regional theory, such as production costs (labor costs, land costs and taxes), demand indicators and agglomeration economies (urbanization and localization economies). The model is based on the random utility maximization framework but proceeds through a Poisson regression model for panel data, due to its equivalence with the conditional logit model. Through the estimation of the model, we were able to conclude that for the entire manufacturer sector, the main determinants for location decisions were the labor and land costs and the localization and urbanization economies. However, when considering the R&D intensive sample, those traditional location determinants lose importance, whilst the technological variables, such as the R&D expenditures, become relevant. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p612&r=ure |
| By: | Juan Peña; Andreu Bonet; Juan Bellot; Juan Rafael Sánchez |
| Abstract: | The analysis of changes in land cover and land use over time as sources of information and geographical diagnosis at a regional scale, is primary to improving knowledge of land cover and land use modelling in Mediterranean environments. The study area is located in the Marina Baixa (MB) county and catchment (680 km2; Alicante, Spain). It comprises 18 municipalities which for the period under study present a landscape mosaic, Benidorm is the capital city of the county. In its turn, this region has undergone great socio-economic changes over recent decades, which can be attributed to tourism development and agricultural intensification. The main driving forces of landscape change are economic and social (tourism development, agriculture) but urban planning is also a key element to take into account in the land use model. The main change attractors can be described as coastal proximity and water availability factors, that are responsible for the transformation from traditional land uses to new land uses with higher water demand and sea-shore zones highly urbanized. Analysis of aerial photographs for the years 1956, 1978 and 2000 in MB revealed an increment of artificial surfaces mostly near the shoreline; an augment of irrigated crops surface; and a significant decline in traditional dry crops due to the abandonment because of their low productivity, therefore it is a growth of natural areas. We have studied the evolution of land cover and land use in MB catchment through time (1956-1978-2000). However, in this study we test the hypothesis that landscape changes in Marina Baixa in 2000 could be predicted from 1956-1978 land use changes. In order to generate land use and land cover map of 2000, we use a combined Cellular Automata, Markov Chain and Multi-Criteria land cover prediction procedure. The application of multiple models is powerful to represent the spatial contiguity as well as knowledge of the likely spatial distribution of transitions to Markov chain analysis. The span between two studied periods is 22 years. The goal is to calibrate the model to predict, as well as possible, the land use changes in 2000, with the purpose to predict the long-term changes beyond. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p713&r=ure |
| By: | Emine Ümran Topçu |
| Abstract: | There is growing interest among academics and policy makers in both Turkey and abroad to monitor social progress. As a result of this, much activity is focused on measuring quality of neighborhood life, via the development and implementation of subjective indicators. Neighborhood satisfaction would appear prima facie to be a more appropriate variable to use as a measure of the overall quality of neighborhood life. This paper undertakes a case of satisfaction on the Anatolian side of Ýstanbul.The objective of the paper is to determine how the characteristics of a neighborhood influence quality of life in a traditional locale. A second objective of this paper is how to develop and use quality of life indicators to achieve a healthier and more sustainable community. Finding out who is most satisfied with the neighborhoods should provide policy makers with information on where to target neighborhood improvements. In this paper , a regression model of an individual neighborhood satisfaction is developed by using data from a 2002 survey, neighborhood satisfaction being used as the dependent variable. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p512&r=ure |
| By: | Paul Metzemakers; Erik Louw |
| Abstract: | To justify industrial land development, municipal planning officials frequently use the argument that unrestricted availability of business sites will foster economic development and employment growth. However, to date convincing evidence to support this claim does not exist. So empirical research into this subject is warranted. Furthermore, this relationship implicitly assumes that the acreage of land, necessary for firms to be able to conduct their business, is a production factor like labour and capital. Unfortunately, research on land use from this perspective has since long disappeared from mainstream economic theory. Ample research is done on land use in relation to firm location, both empirically and theoretically. However, the amount of land as a production factor for firms is generally disregarded. This lack of theory may hinder research into the claim made by planning officials. Therefore, present paper seeks to reintroduce land as a production factor in economic theory. In this article we explore to what extent land can be regarded as a production factor. We aim to integrate this view into established economic models from urban land economics and real estate theory. We do so at the macro and at the micro economic level. At the macro level, the available amount of industrial land could be a factor in national economic growth, just like growth of the labour force. At the micro level we consider whether the theory of individual firms’ production function is able to incorporate the amount of land as production factor. We commence this paper with a historical overview of the treatment of land in economic theory, before we pursue a theoretical framework that incorporates land as a factor of production. The paper concludes with a comparison between land and the established production factors labour and capital. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p220&r=ure |
| By: | Marius Thériault; Paul Y. Villeneuve; Marie-Hélène Vandersmissen; François Des Rosiers |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to assess differences on homeworking and teleworking behaviour among genders considering age groups, professional statuses, household structures and car access. The analysis is based on a sample of more than 30,000 workers responding to the 2001 origin-destination (O-D) survey data in Quebec City (Canada). Moreover, this paper puts specific emphasis on linking those differences in behaviour to the location of workplaces related to living places of the respondents. During the O-D survey, every worker was asked to disclose the frequency of homeworking and teleworking he/she was experiencing during the preceding weeks. Answers were later aggregated into six categories: never working at home (88.4% of respondents), working at home 1 day per two weeks or less (4.8%), 1 day per week (1.7%), 2 or 3 days per week (1.2%), 4 days or more per week (0.7%), always working at home (3.2% – homeworkers). However, those patterns show significant differences among genders (higher proportion of females are working entirely at home; higher proportion of males are occasionally working at home), age groups (younger workers seldom work at home and the proportion of teleworker increases with age – about 16% among the 55-64 years old and 27% among the elderly) and professional status (proportion of teleworkers is strongly related to qualifications and decisional status of the person, yielding higher levels of teleworking for managers, self-employed persons, professors and lawyers than for office clerks, technicians and non-qualified workers). This last relationship is very strong suggesting that job empowerment (especially ability to control time schedule) is of paramount importance for the development of teleworking. However, having higher family constraints, lone parents are seeking more flexibility on their work agenda: 12% are experiencing some level of teleworking on top of 3% of them which are homeworkers. Again, the difference appears more significant among male than among female workers, suggesting again a better control of the first group on their work schedule. Moreover, owning a driver license or holding a bus pass does not have the expected effect on teleworking: car drivers are working at home more frequently than other people; conversely 92% of bus users are going to their work place every weekday, leaving a mere 8% to teleworking and homeworking. Significant differences appear when considering workplaces and home locations within the city. People working near the city centre are more willing than others to consider teleworking, people living in the suburban areas show higher levels of homeworking. Finally, significant differences of travel time from home to work were found among various categories of teleworkers and homeworkers. Preliminary results suggest that the development of teleworking could be highly rooted to labour market and household structures as well as to the urban form. Urban sprawl is probably impeding development of teleworking, at least for Quebec City. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p141&r=ure |
| By: | Lourens Broersma; Jan Oosterhaven |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the extent to which diversification and agglomeration effects account for regional differences in labour productivity levels and labour productivity growth. Using a large set of regional data for The Netherlands for 40 labour market areas between 1990-2001 we find that roughly 60% of the explained variation in regional productivity differences and 55% of the regional growth differences can be attributed to indicators of diversification and agglomeration effects. A sensitivity analysis shows that these effects are fairly robust. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p31&r=ure |
| By: | Michele Capriati |
| Abstract: | The expenditure capacity in R&D is regarded as an important factor for the growth of modern economies. However, even more important is to understand the interaction between research resources and the single territories together with their concrete impact on innovation processes. In fact it is at the local level that the innovation dynamics based on implicit knowledge are generated and disseminated. In order to analyse these processes the present level of aggregation of R&D expenditure data is limited to administrative regions and is still high, this reducing the ability to carry out more precise investigations. The present paper makes an estimate of R&D expenditure for different institutional categories in Italian municipalities (University, Public Administration, and Business). The estimated database has been completed with economic variables referring to the individual municipalities. This has enabled us to carry out a correlation and a cluster analysis and identify groups of municipalities with different characteristics concerning innovation and local development. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p222&r=ure |
| By: | Gerke Hoogstra; Jouke Van Dijk; Raymond J.G.M. Florax |
| Abstract: | The issue whether ‘jobs follow people’ and/or ‘people follow jobs’ has recently emerged as one of the leading themes in regional and urban science. Much of the interest herein stems from alleged inconsistencies in the empirical evidence, which naturally raises questions as for the reasons why. Arguably, the nature of causality differs across space as well as time, while speculations have been rife about a number of methodological issues that may play a crucial role in shaping the research outcomes. In this paper a preliminary attempt is described to clarify these matters, by focusing on an articulate literature of 37 so-called ‘Carlino-Mills studies’. Specifically, a statistically supported literature review, referred to as ‘meta-analysis’, is presented in which the study results are evaluated and systematically related to a variety of study characteristics that underlie these results. By listing 308 study results reported in this literature, it is revealed that the empirical evidence is conform popular belief highly inconclusive, albeit that most of the results point towards ‘jobs follow people’. The findings of the meta-regression analyses indicate that the spatial setting of the study, the adopted model specification, and variables measurement in particular affect the research outcomes that indicate the jobs-people direction of causality. No evidence is found that the examination of data referring to a particular time period, population and/ or employment group make much of a difference. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p737&r=ure |
| By: | Uwe Blien; Jens Suedekum; Katja Wolf |
| Abstract: | In times of high and persistent unemployment, it has become one of the most important policy tasks in many developed countries to trigger a process of sustained employment growth. An illustrative example is the policy of regional “growth-poles”, which assumes that a local concentration of a specific industry in a limited geographical area will lead to a growth take-off. The theoretical rationale for this type of regional policy can be knowledge spillovers, whose importance for the economic (employment) growth has been emphasised in the endogenous growth literature. Yet, there is a considerable debate about the precise nature of knowledge spillovers. Do the externalities accrue between sectors (Jacobs-externalities), or are they rather intra-sectoral (MAR-externalities)? Apart from the question what local economic structure is conducive for employment growth, an equally important issue concerns the timing of the impact of externalities. Is it the current economic structure that matters for employment growth, or rather the historical economic structure? If the former turns out to be the case, regional policies might become effective immediately. In the latter case the impact of policy might be slower but also longer lasting. In this paper we study the dynamics of local employment growth in West Germany from 1980 to 2001. Using dynamic panel techniques, we analyse the nature and the timing of Jacobs- and Marshall-Arrow-Romer externalities, as well as the impact of general human capital spillovers. Jacobs-externalities are stronger in manufacturing than in services, the opposite is true for MAR-externalities. General human capital spillovers are only found in manufacturing. The influence of all forms of externalities rapidly decays in time, suggesting that they are rather static than dynamic. Additionally, we look at the impact of competition, general agglomeration effects and overly high regional wages on local employment growth. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p620&r=ure |
| By: | Robert Dur (Tinbergen Institute, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and CESifo, Munich. Department of Economics H 8-15, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands. dur@few.eur.nl, Phone: +31104082159, Fax: +31104089161); Klaas Staal (Center for European Integration Studies, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Tinbergen Institute, Erasmus University Rotterdam. kstaal@uni-bonn.de) |
| Abstract: | We analyze a simple model of local public good provision in a country consisting of a large number of heterogeneous regions, each comprising two districts, a city and a village. When districts remain autonomous and local public goods have positive spillover effects on the neighboring district, there is underprovision of public goods in both the city and the village. When districts consolidate, underprovision persists in the village (and may even become more severe), whereas overprovision of public goods arises in the city as urbanites use their political power to exploit the villagers. From a social welfare point of view, inhabitants of the village have insufficient incentives to vote for consolidation. We examine how national transfers to local governments can resolve these problems. |
| Keywords: | local public goods, municipal consolidation, voting, intergovernmental transfers |
| JEL: | D7 H2 H7 R5 |
| Date: | 2006–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:trf:wpaper:86&r=ure |
| By: | Christy Collins; Arianne De Blaeij |
| Abstract: | Data collected over recent years indicates that there has been an increase in the average distance of trips made, in the Netherlands (e.g. in 1985 the average trip made was 8.7 km, in 2000 the average trip length was 10.6 km (Harms, 2003)). This paper uses a multi-level approach to look at the micro and macro level factors that affect the travel behaviour of individuals for commuting and leisure in the Netherlands over the last 10 years. A strong influence on the travel behaviour of an individual comes from the context of the household they belong to, the household operates with the context of the residential area in which they live, and all our behaviour is affected by our temporal location. The behaviour of individuals can be considered as dependent on context, and these contextual influences can be envisaged as nested. The multi-level approach allows us to simultaneously consider the impact of individual factors (such as gender), household factors (such as household income), and municipality level factors (such as local population density) and at the same time look at trends across time in commuting and leisure travel behaviour. The advantage of the multi-level approach is that it allows a wholistic approach, where not only aggregate or individual data is used to explain travel behaviour but both levels’ explanatory contributions are included in analyses conducted. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p615&r=ure |
| By: | Oreopoulos, Phil |
| Abstract: | Compulsory school laws have existed in Canada for more than a hundred years, and policies to mandate further education continue to be discussed. This paper examines the impact of these laws on education attainment and on subsequent social economic outcomes for individuals compelled to stay in school. The findings indicate that mandating education substantially increased adult income and substantially decreased the likelihood of being below the low income cut-off, unemployed, and in a manual occupation. Considering possible costs incurred while attending school, these findings suggest compulsory schooling legislation was effective in generating large lifetime gains to would-be-dropouts. |
| Date: | 2005–05–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2005251e&r=ure |
| By: | Joel Waldfogel |
| Abstract: | When a product's product provision entails fixed costs, it will be made available only if a sufficient number of people want it. Some products are produced and consumed locally, so that provision requires not only a large group favoring the product but a large number nearby. Just as one has an incentive to sort into community whose median voter shares his preferences for local public goods, product markets may provide an analogous incentive to sort into a community whose consumers tend to share his preferences in private goods. Using zip code level data on chain restaurants and restaurants overall, this paper documents how the mix of locally available restaurants responds to the local mix of consumers, with three findings. First, based on survey data on chain restaurant patronage, restaurant preferences differ substantially by race and education. Second, there is a strong relationship between restaurants and population at the zip code level, suggesting that restaurants’ geographic markets are small. Finally, the mix of locally available chain restaurants is sensitive to the zipcode demographic mix by race and by education. Hence, differentiated product markets provide a benefit -- proximity to preferred restaurants -- to persons in geographic markets whose customers tend to share their preferences. |
| JEL: | L1 L8 R3 |
| Date: | 2006–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11972&r=ure |
| By: | Haan, Michael |
| Abstract: | In the past, working-age immigrant families in Canada's large urban centres had higher homeownership rates than the Canadian-born. Over the past twenty years however, this advantage has reversed, due jointly to a drop in immigrant rates and a rise in the popularity of homeownership among the Canadian-born. This paper assesses the efficacy of standard consumer choice models, which include indicators for age, income, education, family type, plus several immigrant characteristics, to explain these changes. The main findings are that the standard model almost completely explains the immigrant homeownership advantage in 1981, as well as the rise over time among the Canadian-born, but even after accounting for the well-known decline in immigrant economic fortunes, only about one-third of the 1981-2001 immigrant change in homeownership rates is explained. The implications of this inability are discussed and several suggestions for further research are made. |
| Keywords: | Social conditions, Housing |
| Date: | 2005–02–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2005238e&r=ure |
| By: | Leo de Haan; Elmer Sterken |
| Abstract: | We analyze the mortgage interest rate setting behavior of the four largest banks in the Dutch mortgage market using advertised interest rates at a daily frequency from October 1997 to July 2003. We find that the pass-through of funding cost changes into mortgage interest rates on 5 and 10 year loans differs among these banks. Further, there is evidence of asymmetric price adjustment, in the sense that funding cost increases are more quickly passed on than decreases. |
| JEL: | G21 L13 |
| Date: | 2005–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dnb:dnbwpp:061&r=ure |
| By: | Christophe André; Nathalie Girouard; Mike Kennedy; Paul Van den Noord |
| Abstract: | In the vast majority of OECD economies, house prices in real terms have been moving up strongly since the mid-1990s. Because of the important role housing wealth has been playing during the current upswing, this paper will look more closely at what is underlying these developments for 18 OECD countries over the period from 1970 to the present, with a view to shedding some light on whether or not prices are in line with fundamentals. The paper begins by putting the most recent housing price run-ups in the context of the experiences of the past 35 years. It then examines current valuations against a range of benchmarks. It concludes with a review of the links between a possible correction of housing prices and real activity. The main highlights from this analysis are as follows: 1) The size and duration of the current real house price increases; the degree to which they have tended to move together across countries; and the extent to which they have disconnected from the business cycle are unprecedented. 2) Overvaluation of real house prices may only apply to a relatively small number of countries. However, the extent to which these prices look to be fairly valued depends largely on longer-term interest rates remaining at or close to their current low levels. 3) If house prices were to adjust downward, the historical record suggests that the drops might be large and that the process could be protracted, given the observed stickiness of nominal house prices and the current low rates of inflation. <P>Le rôle des fondamentaux dans l’évolution récente des prix des logements Dans la grande majorité des pays de l'OCDE, les prix réels des logements se sont accrus fortement depuis le milieu des années 90. Étant donné le rôle important joué par le patrimoine immobilier dans la reprise; cette étude examinera de près les facteurs ayant contribués à cette évolution afin de mieux cerner si les prix des logements depuis 1970, pour 18 pays de l'OCDE, sont justifiés par les fondamentaux. Cette étude commence par replacer les hausses les plus récentes des prix de l'immobilier résidentiel dans le contexte des évolutions observées au cours des 35 dernières années. Elle examine ensuite les prix actuels au regard d'un certain nombre d'indicateurs. Elle s'achève enfin par une analyse des liens entre un éventuel réajustement des prix des logements et l'activité réelle. Les principaux aspects de cette analyse sont les suivants: 1) L'ampleur et la durée de l'augmentation des prix réels des logements, l'homogénéité de leur évolution dans différents pays et leur découplage par rapport au cycle économique sont sans précédent. 2) La surévaluation des prix de l'immobilier n'apparaîtrait que dans un nombre relativement restreint de pays. Cela étant, pour considérer que ces prix sont justifiés, il faut, dans une large mesure supposer que les taux d'intérêt à long terme resteront pratiquement aussi bas qu'actuellement. 3) Si les prix des logements venaient à baisser, l'expérience passée conduit à penser que les baisses pourraient être plus importantes en termes réels et qu'elles pourraient être durables, compte tenu de la rigidité observée des prix des logements en termes nominaux et de la faiblesse actuelle de l'inflation. |
| Keywords: | house prices, prix des logements, housing markets, marché immobilier |
| JEL: | R21 R31 |
| Date: | 2006–01–23 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:ecoaaa:475-en&r=ure |
| By: | Haan, Michael |
| Abstract: | Numerous studies equate immigrant homeownership with assimilation into the residential mainstream, though only rarely is this claim verified by studying the ethnic character of neighbourhoods where immigrants actually buy homes. In this paper, the 1996 and 2001 Census of Canada master files and bivariate probit models with sample selection corrections (a.k.a. Heckman probit models) are used to assess the neighbourhood-level ethnic determinants of homeownership in Toronto, Canada. By determining whether low levels of ethnic concentration accompany a home purchase, it can be assessed whether immigrants exit their enclaves in search of a home in the 'promised land', as traditional assimilation theory suggests, or if some now seek homes in the 'ethnic communities' that Logan, Alba and Zhang (2002) recently introduced in the American Sociological Review. Assessing the role of concentration under equilibrium conditions, evidence emerges that same-group concentration affects the propensity of several group members to buy homes. |
| Date: | 2005–05–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2005252e&r=ure |
| By: | Heisz, Andrew; Schellenberg, Grant |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the likelihood of immigrants and the Canadian-born to use public transit. It also discusses implications for public transit services. It uses data from the 1996 and 2001 censuses of Canada. |
| Keywords: | Service industries, Travel and tourism, Population and demography, Transportation services, Commuting, Citizenship |
| Date: | 2004–05–13 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2004224e&r=ure |
| By: | Samuel Bowles (Santa Fe Institute, University of Siena and University of Massachusetts); Rajiv Sethi (Barnard College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: | We explore the dynamics of group inequality when segregation of social networks places the initially less affluent group at a disadvantage in acquiring human capital. Extending Loury (1977), we demonstrate that (i) group differences in economic success can persist across generations in the absence of either discrimination or group differences in ability, provided that social segregation is sufficiently great, (ii) there is threshold level of integration above which group inequality cannot be sustained, (iii) this threshold varies systematically but non-monotonically with the population share of the disadvantaged group, (iv) crossing the threshold induces convergence to a common high level of human capital if the less affluent population share is suf- ficiently small (and the opposite, otherwise), and (v) a race-neutral policy that reduces the cost of acquiring human capital can expand the range over which reducing segregation can be Pareto-improving. JEL Categories: D31, Z13, J71 |
| Keywords: | segregation, networks, group inequality, human capital |
| Date: | 2006–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ums:papers:2006-02&r=ure |
| By: | Marisa Hidalgo (Universidad de Alicante) |
| Abstract: | The belief that peers' characteristics influence the behavior and outcomes of students in school has been important in shaping public policy. How peers affect individuals depends on the educational system prevailing. I analyze two different systems: tracking and mixing, and I propose several criteria to compare them. I find that at compulsory level, average human capital across the population is maximized under tracking, although tracking does not dominates mixing according to first order stochastic dominance. The education system that maximizes college attendance depends on the income level in the population and on the opportunity cost of college attendance. |
| Keywords: | Peer Effects, Tracking, Mixing, Income Premium |
| JEL: | D63 I28 J24 |
| Date: | 2005–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ivi:wpasad:2005-12&r=ure |
| By: | Coish, David |
| Abstract: | The report examines culture in census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in 2001. The report uses the 1996 and 2001 censuses, and data from Statistics Canada's Culture Statistics Program and the Centre for Education Statistics. |
| Keywords: | Labour, Personal finance and household finance, Arts, culture and recreation, Labour force characteristics, Income, Performing arts |
| Date: | 2004–10–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp7e:2004004e&r=ure |
| By: | Solo, Tova Maria; Duran, Clemente Ruiz; John P.; Caskey |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the ways in which lower-income households obtain basic financial services in urban communities in Mexico and the United States. And it discusses the efforts that private sector and government organizations are making to lower the cost or improve the quality of those services. The paper summarizes available information on these issues and assesses the rationale and challenges facing the strategies that both countries are using to improve the financial services available to lower-income households, giving particular attention to " unbanked " households, meaning households that do not have deposit accounts with any regulated deposit-taking institution, and also to lower-income households in large urban areas. In comparing the experiences of the two countries, the paper reviews the extent to which lower-income households are unbanked, their use of non-bank financial services, and strategies for improving financial services to the unbanked. The underlying differences between the countries ' typical household incomes-national income per capita in Mexico in 2002 was US$8,540, compared with $35,060 in the United States (World Bank 2003)-may also influence the difference in percentage of unbanked-9.1 percent of families in the United States compared with 76.4 percent found in a recent study in Mexico City. |
| Keywords: | Banks & Banking Reform,Economic Theory & Research,Financial Intermediation,Remittances,Housing & Human Habitats |
| Date: | 2006–02–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:3835&r=ure |
| By: | Amrita Dhillon (Department of Economics, University of Warwick); Myrna H. Wooders (Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University); Ben Zissimos (Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University) |
| Abstract: | In a classic model of tax competition, we show that the level of public good provision and taxation in a decentralized equilibrium can be efficient or inefficient with either too much, or too little public good provision. The key is whether there exists a unilateral incentive to deviate from the efficient state and, if so, whether this entails raising or lowering taxes. A priori, there is no reason to suppose the incentive is in either one direction or the other. |
| Keywords: | Efficiency, Nash equilibrium, over-provision, tax competition, under-provision |
| JEL: | C72 H73 H21 H42 R50 |
| Date: | 2006–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:van:wpaper:0602&r=ure |
| By: | Warman, Casey |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effect of ethnic neighbourhoods on wage growth as well as other labour market outcomes of immigrant men in Canada using the 1981, 1986, 1991 and 1996 Censuses. While the primary measure of affiliation is country of birth, ethnicity, language and visible minority status are also examined to determine the robustness of the findings. Consistent with U.S. findings, ethnic neighbourhoods based on country of birth are found to have a negative impact on the ten-year wage growth of immigrants. Further, the model for wage growth is found to be robust to different lengths of time and different base years as well as the specification of language and ethnicity as the affiliation grouping. Using country of birth as the affiliation index, exposure is also found to have a negative impact on the growth of total and weekly earnings as well as the initial wages of entry cohorts. While little evidence is found on the effects of ethnic neighbourhoods on changes in employment, a negative effect of exposure is found on entry employment rates of the most recent landing cohorts. Although the overall effect of ethnic neighbourhoods on wage growth is negative, ethnic neighbourhoods are found to have a divergent effect on different landing cohorts, having a positive impact on the wage growth of the more recent cohorts and a negative impact on earlier cohorts. |
| Keywords: | Population and demography, Ethnic origin |
| Date: | 2005–02–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2005241e&r=ure |
| By: | Klein, Daniel B. (George Mason University) |
| Abstract: | Donald Shoup has written a massive tome on parking. This essay summarizes the key insights, evaluates the contribution, and interprets Shoup’s work as a form of strategic writing. |
| Keywords: | Parking; parking requirements; curb parking; parking benefit district; privatization; decontrol; spontaneous order; esoteric writing; strategic writing |
| JEL: | R48 |
| Date: | 2006–01–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ratioi:0083&r=ure |
| By: | Gunther Maier |
| Abstract: | This paper reports the results of a survey about important journals in regional science. A web-based survey among regional scientists produces results about their opinion about the quality and reputation of regional science journals. The results are analyzed for stability over various characteristics of respondents like age, affiliation, nationality, main area of specialication, etc. The results are also compared to those derived from an analysis of publication records, citations and impact factors. |
| Date: | 2005–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa05p332&r=ure |