Abstract
Simulations have considerable potential for the analysis of the evolution of economics systems, a subject often neglected by mainstream economics where the focus is on static equilibria. This thesis investigates the potential of this approach in urban economics. The purpose is to [...]Abstract
In the urban planning literature, it is frequently explicitly asserted or strongly implied that ongoing urban sprawl and decentralization can lead to development patterns that are unsustainable in the long run. One manifestation of such an outcome is that if extensive road investments [...]Abstract
This paper examines the linkages between urban form and city productivity, using alternative metrics for urban form and applying them to a comprehensive sample of Latin American cities. Although most of the literature has concentrated on the effects of population density (compact [...]Abstract
This paper illustrates how the capabilities of GIS and satellite imagery can be harnessed to explore and better understand the urban form of several large African cities (Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Kigali, Dar es Salaam, and Dakar). To allow for comparability across very diverse cities, [...]Abstract
Well-functioning cities reduce the economic distance between people and economic opportunities. Cities thrive because they enable matchmaking -- among people, among firms, and between people and job opportunities. This paper examines employment accessibility in Nairobi, Kenya and [...]Abstract
Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, faces huge traffic congestion, the cost of which is estimated to be more than 2 percent of the city's gross regional product. Effective policies are needed, based on weighing their overall economic cost and benefit to society. This study developed [...]Abstract
far as we know, the problem of existence of a maximiser of the welfare function in traffic congestion models a la Mohring and Harwitz has never been posed. In this chapter we present a mathematically rigorous existence result and take the opportunity to provide a similar variant [...]