Skip to main content

Urban Economics

  • Chapter
Social Economics

Part of the book series: The New Palgrave ((NPA))

  • 249 Accesses

Abstract

Large cities and urban areas exist because it is advantageous to pursue production and consumption activities in a spatially concentrated fashion. Cities are characterized by high population densities, congested intra-city movement, expensive land and the substitution of capital for land. Since persons and firms interact in high density concentrations, the essence of urban economics is the analysis of externalities, neighbourhood effects and related forms of market failure. Traffic congestion, agglomeration economies, pollution, racial segregation, and the provision of public goods all involve externalities and jointness in consumption or production.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Bibliography

  • Anas, A. 1978. Dynamics of urban residential growth. Journal of Economics 5(1), January, 66–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckmann, M.J. 1958. City hierarchies and the distribution of city size. Economic Development and Cultural Change 6, April, 243–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, T.W. and Hamilton, B.W. 1984. Evolution of urban housing stocks: a model applied to Baltimore and Houston. Journal of Urban Economics 16(3), November, 317–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, D. and Kain, J.F. 1974. Cumulative urban growth and urban density functions. Journal of Urban Economics 4(1), January, 113–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, J.V. 1985. Economics Theory and Cities. 2nd edn. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koopmans, T.C. and Beckmann, M. 1957. Assignment problems and the location of economic activities. Econometrica 25, January, 53–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, E.S. Studies in the Structure of the Urban Economy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, E.S. and Tan, J.D. 1980. A comparison of urban population density functions in developed and developing countries. Urban Studies 17(3), October, 313–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, E.S. and Price, R. 1984. Metropolitan suburbanization and central city problems. Journal of Urban Economics 15(1), January, 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muth, R.F. 1969. Cities and Housing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolley, G.S. 1974. The welfare economics of city bigness. Journal of Urban Economics 1(3), July, 324–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, W.C. 1982. Urban spatial development with durable but replaceable capital. Journal of Urban Economics 12(1), July, 53–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

John Eatwell Murray Milgate Peter Newman

Copyright information

© 1989 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mieszkowski, P. (1989). Urban Economics. In: Eatwell, J., Milgate, M., Newman, P. (eds) Social Economics. The New Palgrave. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19806-1_33

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics