Overview
With regard to the attractiveness of cities, previous literature, and especially empirical studies, have mainly focused on production-side benefits. However, cities provide residents with access to consumption of non-tradable goods and services, as well as opportunities for production (employment). However, due to the lack of comprehensive data on the social and economic activities of urban residents, empirical analysis of the benefits of cities other than production and employment has been limited. The purpose of this research project is to investigate the benefits of urban agglomeration brought by access to consumption of non-tradable goods and services of urban residents. In this project, two studies will be carried out. The first is an analysis using the trip data of city residents collected by cellphone GPS. By using the non-commuting trip behavior of urban residents, we develop a quantitative urban model that incorporates both workplace and consumption access, and evaluate the urban policy (Transport infrastructure, zoning, etc.). The second is research on land use regulation. Land use regulations have been introduced to mitigate urban congestion, but they also have the effect of undermining agglomeration economies. The design of optimal land-use regulations requires accurate measurement of the costs and benefits of regulations. This study estimates the cost of land use regulations.
October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2022
