The economics of skyscrapers: a synthesis

Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt and Jason Barr

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

Abstract: We document that skyscraper growth since the end of the 19 th century has been driven by a reduction in the cost of height, increasing urbanization, and rising incomes. These stylized facts guide us in developing a competitive open-city general equilibrium model of vertical and horizontal city structure. We use the model to show that (i) vertical costs and benefits affect the horizontal land use pattern within cities; (ii) the causal relationship between skyscrapers and urbanization is bi-directional; and (iii) height limits reduce the size of large cities, leading to lower agglomeration economies, productivity, and urban GDP. We substantiate the model's predictions by novel estimates of urban height gradients.

Keywords: density; economics; history; height regulations; skyscraper; urbanization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N90 R30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2022-05-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published in Journal of Urban Economics, 1, May, 2022, 129. ISSN: 0094-1190

Downloads: (external link)
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/112791/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The economics of skyscrapers: A synthesis (2022)
Working Paper: The economics of skyscrapers: a synthesis (2020)
Working Paper: The Economics of Skyscrapers: A Synthesis (2020)
Working Paper: The economics of skyscrapers: A synthesis (2020)
Working Paper: The economics of skyscrapers: a synthesis (2020)
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