Skyscrapers and productivity in China

Yuanyuan Gu, Songlin Li and Qiao Wang

Economic Analysis and Policy, 2025, vol. 87, issue C, 1292-1322

Abstract: We investigate the impact of skyscrapers on city-level productivity in China. Using combined data on skyscrapers and granted patents, we find no significant effect of skyscrapers on macro-level city productivity, but we identify a positive and statistically significant spillover effect in nearby spatial zones. Furthermore, we conduct a series of heterogeneity analyses at the micro-geographical scale, examining the functional heterogeneity of skyscrapers, whether they were government-built, and their internal spatial uses. Our findings suggest that skyscrapers facilitate the concentration of productive activities, particularly within high-density, knowledge-intensive sectors.

Keywords: Skyscraper; Productivity; Agglomeration economy; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:87:y:2025:i:c:p:1292-1322

DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2025.06.039

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