The making of the modern metropolis: evidence from London

Stephan Heblich, Stephen Redding and Daniel Sturm

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Using newly constructed spatially disaggregated data for London from 1801 to 1921, we show that the invention of the steam railway led to the first large-scale separation of workplace and residence. We show that a class of quantitative urban models is remarkably successful in explaining this reorganization of economic activity. We structurally estimate one of the models in this class and find substantial agglomeration forces in both production and residence. In counterfactuals, we find that removing the whole railway network reduces the population and the value of land and buildings in London by up to 51.5% and 53.3% respectively, and decreases net commuting into the historical center of London by more than 300,000 workers.

JEL-codes: O18 R12 R40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 75 pages
Date: 2020-11-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo, nep-his and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (63)

Published in Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1, November, 2020, 135(4), pp. 2059 - 2133. ISSN: 0033-5533

Downloads: (external link)
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/104061/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The Making of the Modern Metropolis: Evidence from London* (2020)
Working Paper: The making of the modern metropolis: evidence from London (2019)
Working Paper: The making of the modern metropolis: evidence from London (2018)
Working Paper: The Making of the Modern Metropolis: Evidence from London (2018)
Working Paper: The making of the modern metropolis: evidence from London (2018)
Working Paper: The Making of the Modern Metropolis: Evidence from London (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:104061

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