Urban Economics is a branch of Microeconomics that studies the location of households and firms. While other forms of economics do not account for spatial relationships between individuals and organizations, urban economics focuses on these spatial relationships to understand the economic motivations underlying the formation, functioning, and development of cities.
Since its formulation in 1964, William Alonso's model of a city as a disc-shaped Central Business District (CBD) and surrounding residential region has served as a starting point for urban economic analysis. However, due to evolution of the urban spatial form due to changes in technology, modes of communication and transportation, it is generally recognized that the monocentric paradigm may no longer be universally valid. Several explanations for polycentric expansion have been proposed and summarized in models that account for factors such as utility gains from lower average land rents and increasing (or constant returns) due to economies of agglomeration.
Real Estate
Demography and Population Studies :: Social Sciences
Urban and Regional Planning :: Social Sciences
Housing :: Issues
Transportation :: Issues

American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA) - Not-for-profit, knowledge-oriented network. Contains organizational information, and material relating to its publication, Real Estate Economics.
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) - Institutional, research and publications information from this national research consortium.
Bay Area Economics (BAE) - Promotional material from a Californian real estate and urban development consultancy, with urban economics expertise.
Economics Departments, Institutes and Research Centers in the World (EDIRC): Regional and Urban Economics, Real Estate - Global institutional index segment for these areas of work.
Meta Description: [ Central index of economics institutions
(academic, governmental and non-profit) in Regional and Urban Economics, Real Estate. ]
Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics (FCREUE) - Program information from a leading Californian center for research and continuing professional education in this field.
Higher Education Academy: Resources in Regional and Urban Economics - Books and other resources suitable for teaching Regional and Urban Economics at university level, from the Economics Network at Britain's Higher Education Academy.
Ideopolis International - A Liverpool-based consultancy led by British institutional entrepreneur Tom Cannon. The site includes details of development and regeneration work, and some published material.
Institute for Urban Economics - Russian not-for-profit urban regeneration organization. Describes activities, and contains knowledge-based reports.
500
Interlace-ie - A London-based consultancy specializing in the use of advanced-design science parks to support regional innovation clusters. The site combines a commercial brochure with supporting conceptual information.
Meta Description: [ interlace-ie builds the Third Generation Science & Technology Park designed with an open architecture that connects resourceful urban and regional capabilities in science, technology and innovation to successfully compete in a global environment ]
International Economic Development Council (IEDC) - Membership association serving economic and community development professionals. A wide-ranging US-based resource.
Meta Description: [ The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is dedicated to helping economic development professionals improve the quality of life in their communities. With over 4,000 members, we represent all levels of government, academia, and private industry. IEDC provides a broad range of member... ]
Jack Brause Library - An academic library serving the wider real estate community, at New York University.
Kellogg School of Management: Real Estate Management - Program, resources and research information from this part of Northwestern University's Kellogg School.
Meta Description: [ Real estate courses integrated into the core competencies of Kellogg: finance, marketing, accounting and negotiation. ]
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) - Program, facilities and admissions information from this leading academic center.
University of Glasgow: Department of Urban Studies - Program, conference and publication information from a leading British research center.
Meta Description: [ Urban Studies - home page ]
University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Real Estate - Faculty and program information from this research institute, whose work is grounded in urban land economics.
Meta Description: [ Center for Real Estate home page: news and information about the Center for Real Estate. ]
Urban Economics Simulation Study - Youngsun Kwon's models (open, and closed) of a monocentric city with a dense hub-and-spoke commuting network. Kwon is Assistant Professor in the School of Management at South Korea's Information and Communications University (ICU). The open model is available for public use.
Wyoming Economic Data - Economic data site for parts of Wyoming, from the Wyoming Center for Business and Economic Analysis (WCBEA).
Meta Description: [ Wyoming Center for Business and Economic Analysis, including Wyoming economic data, and Cheyenne economic data about the Wyoming economy and Cheyenne economy. ]
| Interview with Stuart Rosenthal, Journal of Urban Economics | |
| Next Video | |