Urban spatial structure, transport-related emissions and welfare

Laurent Denant-Boèmont (1) , Carl Gaigné (2) , Romain Gaté (1, 2)

1 CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management
2 SMART-LERECO - Structures et Marché Agricoles, Ressources et Territoires

In this paper, we study the effects of urban design on pollution and welfare. We build a theoretical model of residential choices with pollution externalities arising from commuting, where the size of the central business district (CBD) and the demand for housing are endogenous. We show that a polycentric city is desirable from welfare and ecological perspective, provided that travel speed and/or the number of roads directly connected with the CBD are sufficiently high. The spatial extension of cities remains the critical variable to curb transport-related urban pollution.

Mots clés: Urban form; Housing; Travel speed; Carbon emissions; Welfare

Domaines: Economies et finances

Laurent Denant-Boèmont, Carl Gaigné, Romain Gaté. Urban spatial structure, transport-related emissions and welfare. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2018, 89 (In progress (May 2018)), pp.29-45. ⟨10.1016/j.jeem.2018.01.006⟩. ⟨halshs-01717983⟩