Traffic calming and neighborhood livability: Evidence from housing prices in Portland

Stefano Polloni

Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2019, vol. 74, issue C, 18-37

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of traffic calming on the livability of urban residential streets. Using geo-referenced data on the installation of 1187 calming devices in Portland (OR), I test whether the interventions locally affect housing prices during succeeding years. I provide reduced-form evidence that city dwellers pay significant premiums to limit their exposure to motor vehicles, but obtain mixed results regarding the overall price impacts of calming devices. My estimates suggest that only the most effective traffic calming measures have a detectable impact on housing prices. The implied traffic flow elasticity is −0.07: projects decreasing traffic by 16% raise home values on treated streets by 1%.

Keywords: Traffic externalities; Street livability; Urban policy; Housing market (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H4 O18 R2 R4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:regeco:v:74:y:2019:i:c:p:18-37

DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2018.11.004

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