Does zoning follow highways?
We study whether local zoning policies are modified in response to demand shocks generated by new highways. We focus on the case of Spain during the period 1995–2007. The empirical [...]
Planning an Affordable City
America faces a housing affordability crisis in its most economically dynamic cities, including metropolises like New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston where prices are rising faster than [...]
Does Planning Regulation Protect Independent Retailers?
Regulations aimed at curbing the entry of large retail stores have been introduced in many countries to protect independent retailers. Analyzing a planning reform launched in the United Kingdom in [...]
Property Taxation, Zoning, and Efficiency in a Dynamic Tiebout Model
This paper presents a new dynamic Tiebout model and uses it to revisit a classic argument in state and local public finance. The argument, due to Hamilton, is that a [...]
Can urban areas help sustain the preservation of open space? Evidence from statewide referenda
Statewide referenda for land conservation are likely to entail a disparity between people who vote on the referenda and those who live in proximity to conserved areas, which may lead [...]
Segregation and Black Political Efficacy
The impact of segregation on Black political efficacy is theoretically ambiguous. On one hand, increased contact among Blacks in more segregated areas may mean that Blacks are better able to [...]
Who Benefits from Targeted Property Tax Relief? Evidence from Virginia Elections
This study examines the market impact of targeted property tax relief, which is critical for understanding who exactly benefits from a widely used local policy. Specifically, we investigate this in [...]
Zoning and the Economic Geography of Cities
Comprehensive zoning is ubiquitous in U.S. cities, yet we know surprisingly little about its long-run impacts. We provide the first attempt to measure the causal effect of land use regulation [...]
The Economics of Place-Making Policies
Should the national government undertake policies aimed at strengthening the economies of particular localities or regions? Agglomeration economies and human capital spillovers suggest that such policies could enhance welfare. However, [...]
Preservation Follies
Wolfe wrote in the Village Voice that “to take their theory to its logical conclusion would be to develop Central Park. . . . When you consider the thousands and [...]