Gabriel M Ahlfeldt
Biographic Data
| ID | 1212263 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gabriel M Ahlfeldt |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gabriel M |
| FAMILY NAME | Ahlfeldt |
| SIGNATURE | AHLFELDT G M |
| AFFILIATIONS | London School of Economics and Political Science |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5664-3230 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 108 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Micro-geographic property price and rent indices
We develop a programming algorithm that predicts a balanced-panel mix-adjusted house price index for arbitrary spatial units from repeated cross-sections of geocoded micro data. The algorithm combines parametric and non-parametric estimation techniques to provide a tight local fit where the underlying micro data are abundant, and reliable extrapolations where data are sparse. To illustrate the functionality, we generate a panel of German property…
The generation gap in direct democracy: Age vs. cohort effects
Viewing urban spatial history from tall buildings
The economics of skyscrapers: A synthesis
Introduction to the Special issue: “Emerging Trends in Urban Economics”
The economic effects of density: A synthesis
Tall Buildings and Land Values: Height and Construction Cost Elasticities in Chicago, 1870–2010
Despite unprecedented vertical growth in large cities, the economics of skyscrapers remain understudied. We combine data on tall buildings with a panel of land prices covering 140 years to analyze the determinants of urban heights. We provide estimates of the land price elasticity of height, the height elasticity of construction cost, and the elasticity of substitution between land and capital for tall buildings. The land price elasticity of heig…
From periphery to core: Measuring agglomeration effects using high-speed rail
We analyze the economic impact of the German high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Cologne and Frankfurt, which provides plausibly exogenous variation in access to surrounding economic mass. We find a causal effect of about 8.5% on average of the HSR on the GDP of three counties with intermediate stops. We make further use of the variation in bilateral transport costs between all counties in our study area induced by the HSR to identify the strength a…
Game of Zones: The Political Economy of Conservation Areas
We develop and test a simple theory of the conservation area designation process in which we postulate that the level of designation is chosen to comply with interests of local homeowners. Conservation areas provide benefits to local homeowners by reducing uncertainty regarding the future of their area. At the same time, the restrictions impose a cost by limiting the degree to which properties can be altered. In line with our model predictions we…
Urban renewal after the Berlin Wall: A place-based policy evaluation
We use a quasi-experimental research design to study the effects of a spatially targeted renewal policy implemented in Berlin, Germany, in the aftermath of the city’s division during the Cold War period. Our results suggest that over the course of 20 years, the policy helped to reduce (increase) the propensity of buildings being in poor (good) condition within the targeted areas by, on average, 1.2–3% (0.6–2.5%) per year. The estimated effects on…
The Economics of Density: Evidence From the Berlin Wall
This paper develops a quantitative model of internal city structure that features agglomeration and dispersion forces and an arbitrary number of heterogeneous city blocks. The model remains tractable and amenable to empirical analysis because of stochastic shocks to commuting decisions, which yield a gravity equation for commuting flows. To structurally estimate agglomeration and dispersion forces, we use data on thousands of city blocks in Berli…
Homevoters vs. leasevoters: A spatial analysis of airport effects
Distinctively Different: A New Approach to Valuing Architectural Amenities
No Escape? The Coordination Problem in Heritage Preservation
Conservation Areas (CAs) are among the most restrictive English planning policies. Designation implies a significant limitation of owners' control over the shape and appearance of their properties. The policy, however, can also be argued to solve a sort of 'prisoner's dilemma', in which it might be collectively rational to preserve the character of an area, but an individual homeowner may be tempted to inappropriately alter their property, thus f…
Chicken or egg? The PVAR econometrics of transportation
To analyse the mutually dependent relationship between local economic performance, demand for and supply of transport services, we employ the structural panel VAR method that is popular in the macroeconomic literature, but has not previously been applied to the modelling of the within-city dynamics of transportation. We focus on a within-city panel of Berlin, Germany during the heyday of the construction of its dense public transit network (1890–…
If We Build it, Will They Pay? Predicting Property Price Effects of Transport Innovations
In this study I apply a gravity-type labor-market accessibility model to the Greater London Area to investigate house price capitalization effects. The spatial scope of labor-market effects is found to be about 60 minutes. Doubling accessibility increases the utility of an average household by about 12%. I combine the gravity approach with a transport decision model that takes into account the urban rail network architecture, allows for mode swit…
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 o…
Voting on a Nimby Facility: Proximity Cost of an “Iconic” Stadium
This paper provides a spatial analysis at precinct level of the 2001 referendum of the Allianz Arena, a professional soccer stadium in Munich in Germany. While at the city level voters clearly supported the sports arena, voters in proximity of the proposed site opposed the project. Voters in proximity of an alternative site instead supported the project. We conclude that residents expected net costs of proximity to stadia and engaged in the refer…
External Productivity and Utility Effects of City Airports
Ahlfeldt G. M. and Maennig W. External productivity and utility effects of city airports, Regional Studies . This paper uses a micro-level data set for residential and commercial property transactions to investigate external utility and productivity effects for three (city) airports in Berlin, Germany, in a spatial hedonic analysis. It finds strong evidence of adverse noise effects on property prices and a discontinuity at approximately 55 dB. Ma…
Stadium Architecture and Urban Development from the Perspective of Urban Economics
A range of econometric studies suggest that neither major sports events nor related new stadium construction typically have any appreciable effect on income or employment at municipal scale. However, one important issue has long been ignored in the literature: architectural quality. At present, international stadium architecture is gaining markedly in significance. New stadia are intended to serve as visiting cards for their hometowns and to acce…
Arenas, Arena Architecture and the Impact on Location Desirability: The Case of `Olympic Arenas' in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin
This paper investigates impacts of three multifunctional sports arenas situated in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, Germany, employing highly disaggregated data on land values. The three arenas, their architecture and location within the city were explicitly designed to contribute to revitalisation of their economically deprived neighbourhoods. A difference-in-differences approach is employed to check for structural breaks in development of land values wi…
The economic effects of density: A synthesis
From periphery to core: Measuring agglomeration effects using high-speed rail
We analyze the economic impact of the German high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Cologne and Frankfurt, which provides plausibly exogenous variation in access to surrounding economic mass. We find a causal effect of about 8.5% on average of the HSR on the GDP of three counties with intermediate stops. We make further use of the variation in bilateral transport costs between all counties in our study area induced by the HSR to identify the strength a…
The economics of skyscrapers: A synthesis
If We Build it, Will They Pay? Predicting Property Price Effects of Transport Innovations
In this study I apply a gravity-type labor-market accessibility model to the Greater London Area to investigate house price capitalization effects. The spatial scope of labor-market effects is found to be about 60 minutes. Doubling accessibility increases the utility of an average household by about 12%. I combine the gravity approach with a transport decision model that takes into account the urban rail network architecture, allows for mode swit…
Homevoters vs. leasevoters: A spatial analysis of airport effects
Urban renewal after the Berlin Wall: A place-based policy evaluation
We use a quasi-experimental research design to study the effects of a spatially targeted renewal policy implemented in Berlin, Germany, in the aftermath of the city’s division during the Cold War period. Our results suggest that over the course of 20 years, the policy helped to reduce (increase) the propensity of buildings being in poor (good) condition within the targeted areas by, on average, 1.2–3% (0.6–2.5%) per year. The estimated effects on…
No Escape? The Coordination Problem in Heritage Preservation
Conservation Areas (CAs) are among the most restrictive English planning policies. Designation implies a significant limitation of owners' control over the shape and appearance of their properties. The policy, however, can also be argued to solve a sort of 'prisoner's dilemma', in which it might be collectively rational to preserve the character of an area, but an individual homeowner may be tempted to inappropriately alter their property, thus f…
Voting on a Nimby Facility: Proximity Cost of an “Iconic” Stadium
This paper provides a spatial analysis at precinct level of the 2001 referendum of the Allianz Arena, a professional soccer stadium in Munich in Germany. While at the city level voters clearly supported the sports arena, voters in proximity of the proposed site opposed the project. Voters in proximity of an alternative site instead supported the project. We conclude that residents expected net costs of proximity to stadia and engaged in the refer…
Arenas, Arena Architecture and the Impact on Location Desirability: The Case of `Olympic Arenas' in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin
This paper investigates impacts of three multifunctional sports arenas situated in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, Germany, employing highly disaggregated data on land values. The three arenas, their architecture and location within the city were explicitly designed to contribute to revitalisation of their economically deprived neighbourhoods. A difference-in-differences approach is employed to check for structural breaks in development of land values wi…
Game of Zones: The Political Economy of Conservation Areas
We develop and test a simple theory of the conservation area designation process in which we postulate that the level of designation is chosen to comply with interests of local homeowners. Conservation areas provide benefits to local homeowners by reducing uncertainty regarding the future of their area. At the same time, the restrictions impose a cost by limiting the degree to which properties can be altered. In line with our model predictions we…
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 o…
Stadium Architecture and Urban Development from the Perspective of Urban Economics
A range of econometric studies suggest that neither major sports events nor related new stadium construction typically have any appreciable effect on income or employment at municipal scale. However, one important issue has long been ignored in the literature: architectural quality. At present, international stadium architecture is gaining markedly in significance. New stadia are intended to serve as visiting cards for their hometowns and to acce…
Distinctively Different: A New Approach to Valuing Architectural Amenities
Chicken or egg? The PVAR econometrics of transportation
To analyse the mutually dependent relationship between local economic performance, demand for and supply of transport services, we employ the structural panel VAR method that is popular in the macroeconomic literature, but has not previously been applied to the modelling of the within-city dynamics of transportation. We focus on a within-city panel of Berlin, Germany during the heyday of the construction of its dense public transit network (1890–…
External Productivity and Utility Effects of City Airports
Ahlfeldt G. M. and Maennig W. External productivity and utility effects of city airports, Regional Studies . This paper uses a micro-level data set for residential and commercial property transactions to investigate external utility and productivity effects for three (city) airports in Berlin, Germany, in a spatial hedonic analysis. It finds strong evidence of adverse noise effects on property prices and a discontinuity at approximately 55 dB. Ma…
Arenas, Arena Architecture and the Impact on Location Desirability: The Case of `Olympic Arenas' in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin
This paper investigates impacts of three multifunctional sports arenas situated in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, Germany, employing highly disaggregated data on land values. The three arenas, their architecture and location within the city were explicitly designed to contribute to revitalisation of their economically deprived neighbourhoods. A difference-in-differences approach is employed to check for structural breaks in development of land values wi…
Stadium Architecture and Urban Development from the Perspective of Urban Economics
A range of econometric studies suggest that neither major sports events nor related new stadium construction typically have any appreciable effect on income or employment at municipal scale. However, one important issue has long been ignored in the literature: architectural quality. At present, international stadium architecture is gaining markedly in significance. New stadia are intended to serve as visiting cards for their hometowns and to acce…
External Productivity and Utility Effects of City Airports
Ahlfeldt G. M. and Maennig W. External productivity and utility effects of city airports, Regional Studies . This paper uses a micro-level data set for residential and commercial property transactions to investigate external utility and productivity effects for three (city) airports in Berlin, Germany, in a spatial hedonic analysis. It finds strong evidence of adverse noise effects on property prices and a discontinuity at approximately 55 dB. Ma…
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 o…
Voting on a Nimby Facility: Proximity Cost of an “Iconic” Stadium
This paper provides a spatial analysis at precinct level of the 2001 referendum of the Allianz Arena, a professional soccer stadium in Munich in Germany. While at the city level voters clearly supported the sports arena, voters in proximity of the proposed site opposed the project. Voters in proximity of an alternative site instead supported the project. We conclude that residents expected net costs of proximity to stadia and engaged in the refer…
If We Build it, Will They Pay? Predicting Property Price Effects of Transport Innovations
In this study I apply a gravity-type labor-market accessibility model to the Greater London Area to investigate house price capitalization effects. The spatial scope of labor-market effects is found to be about 60 minutes. Doubling accessibility increases the utility of an average household by about 12%. I combine the gravity approach with a transport decision model that takes into account the urban rail network architecture, allows for mode swit…
Chicken or egg? The PVAR econometrics of transportation
To analyse the mutually dependent relationship between local economic performance, demand for and supply of transport services, we employ the structural panel VAR method that is popular in the macroeconomic literature, but has not previously been applied to the modelling of the within-city dynamics of transportation. We focus on a within-city panel of Berlin, Germany during the heyday of the construction of its dense public transit network (1890–…
The Economics of Density: Evidence From the Berlin Wall
This paper develops a quantitative model of internal city structure that features agglomeration and dispersion forces and an arbitrary number of heterogeneous city blocks. The model remains tractable and amenable to empirical analysis because of stochastic shocks to commuting decisions, which yield a gravity equation for commuting flows. To structurally estimate agglomeration and dispersion forces, we use data on thousands of city blocks in Berli…
Homevoters vs. leasevoters: A spatial analysis of airport effects
Distinctively Different: A New Approach to Valuing Architectural Amenities
No Escape? The Coordination Problem in Heritage Preservation
Conservation Areas (CAs) are among the most restrictive English planning policies. Designation implies a significant limitation of owners' control over the shape and appearance of their properties. The policy, however, can also be argued to solve a sort of 'prisoner's dilemma', in which it might be collectively rational to preserve the character of an area, but an individual homeowner may be tempted to inappropriately alter their property, thus f…
Urban renewal after the Berlin Wall: A place-based policy evaluation
We use a quasi-experimental research design to study the effects of a spatially targeted renewal policy implemented in Berlin, Germany, in the aftermath of the city’s division during the Cold War period. Our results suggest that over the course of 20 years, the policy helped to reduce (increase) the propensity of buildings being in poor (good) condition within the targeted areas by, on average, 1.2–3% (0.6–2.5%) per year. The estimated effects on…
From periphery to core: Measuring agglomeration effects using high-speed rail
We analyze the economic impact of the German high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Cologne and Frankfurt, which provides plausibly exogenous variation in access to surrounding economic mass. We find a causal effect of about 8.5% on average of the HSR on the GDP of three counties with intermediate stops. We make further use of the variation in bilateral transport costs between all counties in our study area induced by the HSR to identify the strength a…
Game of Zones: The Political Economy of Conservation Areas
We develop and test a simple theory of the conservation area designation process in which we postulate that the level of designation is chosen to comply with interests of local homeowners. Conservation areas provide benefits to local homeowners by reducing uncertainty regarding the future of their area. At the same time, the restrictions impose a cost by limiting the degree to which properties can be altered. In line with our model predictions we…
Tall Buildings and Land Values: Height and Construction Cost Elasticities in Chicago, 1870–2010
Despite unprecedented vertical growth in large cities, the economics of skyscrapers remain understudied. We combine data on tall buildings with a panel of land prices covering 140 years to analyze the determinants of urban heights. We provide estimates of the land price elasticity of height, the height elasticity of construction cost, and the elasticity of substitution between land and capital for tall buildings. The land price elasticity of heig…
The economic effects of density: A synthesis
Introduction to the Special issue: “Emerging Trends in Urban Economics”
The generation gap in direct democracy: Age vs. cohort effects
Viewing urban spatial history from tall buildings
The economics of skyscrapers: A synthesis
Micro-geographic property price and rent indices
We develop a programming algorithm that predicts a balanced-panel mix-adjusted house price index for arbitrary spatial units from repeated cross-sections of geocoded micro data. The algorithm combines parametric and non-parametric estimation techniques to provide a tight local fit where the underlying micro data are abundant, and reliable extrapolations where data are sparse. To illustrate the functionality, we generate a panel of German property…
Economics (19 works) · Housing Market and Economics (16 works) · Microeconomics (12 works) · Economic geography (10 works) · Geography (9 works) · Econometrics (8 works) · Engineering (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Mathematics (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works)