Water infrastructure and health in U.S. cities

Brian Beach

Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2022, vol. 94, issue C

Abstract: Between 1900 and 1930 typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases were largely eradicated from U.S. cities. This achievement required a mix of technological, scientific, economic, and bureaucratic innovations. This article examines how the interaction of those forces influenced water and sanitary infrastructure provision during the 19th and early 20th centuries. I document a sharp link between infrastructure investments and declines in waterborne disease and discuss how that relationship informs the methodological approaches one should use to assess the impact of sanitary investments on urban development. Finally, I review the literature on the social returns to eliminating the threat of waterborne disease. The evidence suggests the benefits of infrastructure investment far exceeded the costs.

Keywords: Water; Health; United States; Economic history; Disease (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Working Paper: Water Infrastructure and Health in U.S. Cities (2021)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:regeco:v:94:y:2022:i:c:s016604622100034x

DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2021.103674

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