If Alonso was Right: Residual Land Price, Accessibility and Urban Attraction

This study investigates whether accessibility shapes the attractiveness of residential land as predicted by theory. A spatial hedonic analysis is conducted for the metropolitan area of Berlin, Germany, using a large set of georeferenced property transactions and micro-level data. We find that the nuclei of residential land price and employment density gradients are separated by approx. 10 km, which essentially contradicts theoretical implications. Also, environmental externalities arising from the residential composition or the building structure and density in the neighborhood are more important determinants than access to the city center, which, if at all, impacts negatively on residential land prices. Moreover, a new gravity-based accessibility indicator is employed that incorporates the effective distribution of employment as well as the rapid transit network architecture in order to disentangle the effects of proximity to employment opportunities from a more general urban attraction effect. After controlling for accessibility, we find a negative effect of urban attraction, respectively an effect of urban repulsion, indicating a relatively higher attractiveness of peripheral locations. This effect is partially counterbalanced by the benefits arising from access to employment opportunities that are, although relatively dispersed, more concentrated within downtown areas. In the tension between both forces, the land price gradient tends to be, if at all significant, positive. After all, we conclude that if transport costs are very low, commuting costs lose their role as the most striking determinant of land price. These results are robust to spatial dependency.Accessibility, gradient inversion, land price, urban attraction, Berlin

The train has left the station: Do markets value intra-city access to inter-city rail connections?

This paper analyzes the impact of access to inter-city rail connections on property prices using hedonic, difference-in-difference and time-difference estimation strategies. We investigate the reorganization of the rail system in post-unification Berlin, Germany, which provides much variation in accessibility. Evidence does not support the existence of localized effects. Neither in proximity to stations nor at city-level are there significant price adjustments. No significant price effect is revealed on distance to stations, even when allowing for a complementary relationship. An increase in the attractiveness of central locations coinciding with the final announcement of the train schedule is not attributable to the intervention.Property prices; transport innovation; inter-city connection; railroad; Berlin

Valuing iconic design: Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in Oak Park, Illinois

This study investigates the willingness of homebuyers to pay for co-location with iconic architecture. Oak Park, Illinois was chosen as the study area given its unique claim of having 24 residential structures designed by world-famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, in addition to dozens of other designated landmarks and three preservation districts. This study adds to the limited body of existing literature on the external price effects of architectural design and is unique in its focus on residential architecture. We find a premium of about 8.5% within 50-100m of the nearest Wright building and about 5% within 50-250m. These results indicate that an external premium to iconic architecture does exist, although it may partially be attributable to the prominence of the architec

Impact of Sports Arenas on Land Values: Evidence from Berlin

This paper develops a hedonic price model explaining standard land values in Berlin. The model assesses the impact of three multifunctional sports arenas situated in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg which were designed to improve the attractiveness of their formerly deprived neighbourhoods. Empirical results confirm expectations about the impact of various attributes on land values. Sports arenas have significant positive impacts within a radius of about 3000 meters. The patterns of impact vary, indicating that the effective impact depends on how planning authorities address potential countervailing negative externalities.Stadium Impact, Land Gradient, Hedonic Regression, Spatial Autocorrelation, Berlin

Award-Winning Architecture and Urban Revitalization: The Case of “Olympic Arenas” in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg

This paper investigates socioeconomic impacts of three multifunctional sports arenas situated in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, Germany. The three arenas are chosen with respect to their potential to contribute to a process of revitalization of their economically deprived neighbourhood. Impact is assessed by conducting hedonic analyses of standard land values under consideration of spatial spill-over effects. To confirm results and to provide a more comprehensive interpretation we employ a differences-in-differences approach to check for structural breaks in development of rents and selected socioeconomic variables within determined areas of potential impact. Our results suggest that arenas emanate positive externalities and apparently have accelerated the process of gentrification going on in Prenzlauer Berg. However, evidence also supports neighbourhood activists´ concerns that congestion problems may adversely affect property values, at least when not addressed appropriately during the period of planning.Stadium Impact, Stadium Architecture, Gentrification, Hedonic Regression, Spatial Autocorrelation

Accurate predictions of property price effects can help realise transport infrastructure projects

If it were possible to predict property price effects during the planning stage of a transport project, the revenues of such schemes could be taken into account in the financing scheme. Gabriel Ahlfeldt has constructed such a tool, which may help to realise some projects that are needed but seem unaffordable

How the government should promote high speed broadband in Britain

Are publicly subsidised improvements in broadband infrastructure socially desirable? The answer depends on a consumer surplus exists – whether users derive a benefit from internet usage above and beyond what they pay to their internet service provider. New research by Gabriel Ahlfeldt and colleagues infers this surplus by observing property prices in areas with high internet speeds, finding that property prices increase on average by about 3 per cent when internet speed doubles. Their results argue for rolling out fibre broadband infrastructure in urban areas and less expensive fixed and mobile technologies in rural areas

From Periphery to Core: Economic Adjustments to High Speed Rail

This paper presents evidence that high speed rail systems, by bringing economic agents closer together, sustainably promote economic activity within regions that enjoy an increase in accessibility. Our results on the one hand confirm expectations that have led to huge public investments into high speed rail all over the world. On the other hand, they confirm theoretical predictions arising from a consolidate body of (New) Economic Geography literature taking a positive, man-made and reproducible shock as a case in point. We argue that the economic geography framework can help to derive ex ante predictions on the economic impact of transport projects. The subject case is the German high speed rail track connecting Cologne and Frankfurt, which, as we argue, provides exogenous variation in access to regions due to the construction of intermediate stations in the towns of Limburg and Montabaur.

From Periphery to Core: Economic Adjustments to High Speed Rail

This paper presents evidence that high speed rail systems, by bringing economic agents closer together, sustainably promote economic activity within regions that enjoy an increase in accessibility. Our results on the one hand confirm expectations that have led to huge public investments into high speed rail all over the world. On the other hand, they confirm theoretical predictions arising from a consolidate body of (New) Economic Geography literature taking a positive, man-made and reproducible shock as a case in point. We argue that the economic geography framework can help to derive ex-ante predictions on the economic impact of transport projects. The subject case is the German high speed rail track connecting Cologne and Frankfurt, which, as we argue, provides exogenous variation in access to regions due to the construction of intermediate stations in the towns of Limburg and Montabaur.NEG; high speed rail; transport policy; market access; acces-sibility

Who benefits from neighbourhoods designated as conservation areas?

Homeowners and people nearby benefit, though the implications for society are less clear, writes Gabriel Ahlfeld