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Geography, policy or market? New evidence on the measurement and causes of sprawl (and infill) in US metropolitan regions

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  • Kurt Paulsen

Abstract

This paper proposes four metrics to measure sprawl in metropolitan regions as marginal changes in land use over time. The metrics (change in urban housing unit density, marginal land consumption per new urban household, housing unit density in newly urbanized areas and percent of new housing units located in previously developed areas) are computed for all 329 metropolitan areas in the continental USA for 1980 and 2000. Regression analysis is used to explain variations in sprawl metrics across metropolitan areas, incorporating variables representing market, geographic and policy factors. Changes in development patterns reflect interactions of market and geographic structures. States with a substantial state role in planning accommodate a higher percentage of new housing units in previously developed areas and with lower marginal land consumption, suggesting that policy can mitigate sprawl development.

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  • Kurt Paulsen, 2014. "Geography, policy or market? New evidence on the measurement and causes of sprawl (and infill) in US metropolitan regions," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(12), pages 2629-2645, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:51:y:2014:i:12:p:2629-2645
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098013512874
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    2. Gianni Guastella & Stefano Pareglio & Paolo Sckokai, 2017. "A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Land Use Efficiency in Large and Small Municipalities," Working Papers 2017.03, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    3. David Gálvez Ruiz & Pilar Diaz Cuevas & Olta Braçe & Marco Garrido-Cumbrera, 2018. "Developing an Index to Measure Sub-municipal Level Urban Sprawl," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 929-952, December.
    4. Achim Ahrens & Seán Lyons, 2019. "Changes in Land Cover and Urban Sprawl in Ireland From a Comparative Perspective Over 1990–2012," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, January.
    5. Ilaria Zambon & Kostas Rontos & Pere Serra & Andrea Colantoni & Luca Salvati, 2018. "Population Dynamics in Southern Europe: A Local-Scale Analysis, 1961–2011," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.

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