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The optimal pricing, finance and supply of urban transportation in general equilibrium: A theoretical exposition

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  • Anas, Alex

Abstract

We present a general equilibrium framework of optimal allocation treating the pricing, finance and supply of urban transportation. Uncongested public transportation technology with economies of scale supports the city's existence; and a congested road system subject to constant returns limits urban size. Optimal investment in public transit and in roads follow Samuelson's rule. With optimally determined urban population, roads are fully financed by Pigouvian congestion tolls while aggregate differential land rents fully finance public transit and any other activity with internal or external economies of scale (Henry George Theorem). Marshallian agglomeration from production in the core and the suburbanization of jobs to avoid congestion are treated. We also see how the optimal rules and the Henry George Theorem are modified when the demand for location is determined by a random utility model.

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  • Anas, Alex, 2012. "The optimal pricing, finance and supply of urban transportation in general equilibrium: A theoretical exposition," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 64-76.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecotra:v:1:y:2012:i:1:p:64-76
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecotra.2012.05.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Tikoudis, Ioannis, 2023. "Revisiting the Pigouvian tax in urban roads: Housing supply restrictions, leaking profits and spatial inequality," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    7. Chunqin Zhang & Yuting Hu & Anning Ni & Hongwei Li, 2019. "Compensation Scheme for Self-Employed Bus Service Requisitions in Urban–Rural Passenger Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.
    8. Zhang, Wenjia & Kockelman, Kara M., 2016. "Optimal policies in cities with congestion and agglomeration externalities: Congestion tolls, labor subsidies, and place-based strategies," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 64-86.
    9. Locatelli, Giorgio & Invernizzi, Diletta Colette & Brookes, Naomi J., 2017. "Project characteristics and performance in Europe: An empirical analysis for large transport infrastructure projects," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 108-122.
    10. Ioannis Tikoudis, 2020. "Second‐Best Road Taxes in Polycentric Networks with Distorted Labor Markets," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 122(1), pages 391-428, January.
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    13. Xu, Shu-Xian & Liu, Tian-Liang & Huang, Hai-Jun & Wang, David Z.W., 2021. "Optimizing the number of employment subcenters to decentralize a congested city," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).

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