Plenty more room inside? public transportation, public housing, and declining overcrowding: evidence from early-twentieth century London

Andrew Seltzer and Jonathan Wadsworth

Economic History Working Papers from London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economic History

Abstract: This paper examines overcrowding, an indicator of low quality of life. We use household-level data from the 1929-31 New Survey of London Life and Labour to construct new estimates of overcrowding and analyze its geographic and economic determinants. We then examine how interwar public policy contributed to declining overcrowding. Improvements to public transportation led to increased worker earnings and housing expenditure. More importantly, public transport allowed workers to live in outer areas with lower overcrowding rates and commute inwards. Housing legislation reduced overcrowding by subsidizing new home construction, thereby increasing dwelling size, reducing rents, and improving housing quality.

Keywords: overcrowding; public transportation; public housing; working-class London (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N74 N94 R21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 56 pages
Date: 2026-04
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:wpaper:137932

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