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Pollution and city size: can cities be too small?

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  • Borck, Rainald
  • Tabuchi, Takatoshi

Abstract

We study the optimal and equilibrium size of cities in a monocentric city model with environmental pollution. Pollution is related to city size through the effect of population on production, commuting, and housing consumption. If pollution is local, we find that equilibrium cities are too large, mirroring standard results in the theory of city systems. When pollution is global and per capita pollution declines with city size, however, equilibrium cities may be too small.

Suggested Citation

  • Borck, Rainald & Tabuchi, Takatoshi, 2015. "Pollution and city size: can cities be too small?," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113124, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc15:113124
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    Cited by:

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    2. Borck, Rainald & Schrauth, Philipp, 2024. "Urban pollution: A global perspective," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    3. Blaudin de Thé, Camille & Carantino, Benjamin & Lafourcade, Miren, 2021. "The carbon ‘carprint’ of urbanization: New evidence from French cities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    4. Dong, Tao & Jia, Ning & Ma, Shoufeng & Xu, Shu-Xian & Ping Ong, Ghim & Liu, Peng & Huang, Hai-Jun, 2022. "Impacts of intercity commuting on travel characteristics and urban performances in a two-city system," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    5. Ahlfeldt, Gabriel M. & Pietrostefani, Elisabetta, 2019. "The economic effects of density: A synthesis," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 93-107.
    6. Lafourcade, Miren & Blaudin de Thé, Camille & Carantino, Benjamin, 2018. "The Carbon `Carprint' of Suburbanization: New Evidence from French Cities," CEPR Discussion Papers 13086, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Borck, Rainald, 2019. "Public transport and urban pollution," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 356-366.
    8. Xiong Chen & Wencui Du, 2022. "Too Big or Too Small? The Threshold Effects of City Size on Regional Pollution in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-21, February.
    9. Rainald Borck, 2019. "Bevölkerungsdichte, Stadtstruktur und Umweltverschmutzung [Population density, urban structure and air pollution]," Zeitschrift für Immobilienökonomie (German Journal of Real Estate Research), Springer;Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung e. V., vol. 5(1), pages 161-171, November.
    10. Pflüger, Michael P., 2018. "City Size, Pollution and Emission Policies," IZA Discussion Papers 11354, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Wu, JunJie & Segerson, Kathleen & Wang, Chunhua, 2023. "Is environmental regulation the answer to pollution problems in urbanizing economies?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    12. Niklas Gohl & Philipp Schrauth, 2022. "Ticket to Paradise? The Effect of a Public Transport Subsidy on Air Quality," CEPA Discussion Papers 50, Center for Economic Policy Analysis.
    13. Pflüger, Michael, 2021. "City size, pollution and emission policies," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    14. Huang, Ruting & Yao, Xin, 2024. "City size and energy efficiency of Chinese manufacturing firms: An empirical study from a city characteristic perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    15. Carozzi, Felipe & Roth, Sefi, 2023. "Dirty density: air quality and the density of American cities," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117385, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. Juan Carlos Bárcena-Ruiz & F. Javier Casado-Izaga, 2018. "Optimal size of a residential area within a municipality," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 75-92, May.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • R13 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General Equilibrium and Welfare Economic Analysis of Regional Economies

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