Optimal size of a residential area within a municipality

Juan Bárcena-Ruiz and F. Casado-Izaga

Journal of Economics, 2018, vol. 124, issue 1, No 4, 75-92

Abstract: Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze the optimal size of a residential area within a municipality under different market structures. We find that under a private duopoly the optimal size of the residential area depends on the ratio between transportation costs and a negative externality due to congestion. The optimal size is the whole municipality when the ratio is low enough and a small area of the municipality when the ratio is high enough. The transition from a flat residential area to a more compact one is not continuous, so some large-enough residential areas are never optimal. Under a mixed duopoly the transition from a flat residential area to a more compact one is continuous as the ratio increases. By comparing the two cases we find that for intermediate values of this ratio a flat city is optimal for a private duopoly while compact cities emerge under a mixed duopoly.

Keywords: Spatial competition; Location choice; Residential area; Congestion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D43 L13 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:jeczfn:v:124:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s00712-017-0561-5

DOI: 10.1007/s00712-017-0561-5

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