Factors Influencing Tenure Choice in European Countries

Homeownership rates are very different across European countries. They range from belo

The differential impact of a uniform access improvement

The neoclassical spatial equilibrium model of household behaviour is used to explain how a uniform improvement in the access surface of a region can have different impacts on the equilibrium locations of renters and homeowners. The differences in the households' propensities to move in response to an access improvement may explain the basis for some urban land-use conflicts.

Goals for restructuring local government boundaries: Canadian lessons

In this paper the goals that can be pursued by a senior government that is considering proposals for changing the size of local jurisdictions are examined. The process of change and the options the senior government may consider when facing conflicts raised by municipal incorporation, annexation, or amalgamation proposals are considered. This paper is about Canadian cities, but the discussion is based on literature drawing on insights and experience gained in Europe, the United States, and Australia as well as in Canada.

Impact attenuation in nonconflict situations: the price effects of a nuisance land-use

In this paper the effect an inactive landfill site had on the sales price of surrounding houses is described. The spatial extent of the damage done by a nuisance site that was present at the time the houses were built is considered. Evidence is provided of the limited extent of the damage created by a nuisance land-use that did not generate negative publicity and conflict. Indirectly, the findings show that impacts that do not evoke rancor or present possible hazards are limited to a relatively small and easily definable zone. It should not, therefore, be difficult to implement compensation plans for the impacts of nuisance producing land-use sites. The implementation of such plans should help to ensure that land-use conflicts do not spread the cost of the nuisance beyond the area they affect directly.

Lessons from Canada's housing R&D experience

In this paper the history of Canadian Housing R&D programs is reviewed and the strengths and weaknesses of these programs are assessed. Government programs that sought to promote innovation directly, subsidy programs for the private sector, and demonstration programs are looked at. Urban development projects as well as small-scale technological innovation dissemination efforts are considered, and the lessons that program administrators have gained from past programs and present guidelines for program design are presented.