Tall Buildings and Land Values: Height and Construction Cost Elasticities in Chicago, 1870 – 2010

Gabriel Ahlfeldt and Daniel McMillen ()

No 12351, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Cities around the world are experiencing unprecedented vertical growth. Yet, the economics of skyscrapers remain empirically understudied. This paper analyzes the determinants of the urban height profile by combining a micro-geographic data set on tall buildings with a unique panel of land prices covering 140 years. We provide novel esti-mates of the land price elasticity of height, the height elasticity of construction cost, and the elasticity of substitution between land and capital for tall buildings. In line with improvements in construction technology, the land price elas-ticity of height increased substantially over time, rationalizing a trend to ever taller buildings. The land price elasticity of height is larger for commercial than for residential buildings, suggesting that the typical segregation of land uses within cities is not exclusively shaped by the demand side, but also by the supply side.

Keywords: Chicago; Construction cost; Density; Height; Land value; Skyscraper (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: R20 R30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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