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Journal of Political Economy Vol. 132 No. 6 2024

The Microgeography of Housing Supply

Nathaniel Baum-Snow; Lu Han

Abstract

We perform a comprehensive neighborhood-level analysis of housing supply. Predictions of floor space and housing unit supply elasticities using our estimates average 0.5 and 0.3 across all urban neighborhoods in the United States, exhibiting greater variation within than between metro regions. New construction accounts for about 50% of unit supply responses, with important additional roles for teardowns and renovations. Supply responses grow with central business district distance mostly from the increasing availability of undeveloped land, flatter land, and less regulation. Identification comes from variation in labor demand shocks to commuting destinations, as aggregated using insights from a quantitative spatial equilibrium model.

DOI
10.1086/728110
Volume
132
Issue
6
Pages
1897-1946
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib

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