Rethinking Detroit

Raymond Owens, Esteban Rossi-Hansberg and Pierre Daniel Sarte

No 17-4, Working Paper from Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Abstract: We study the urban structure of the city of Detroit. Following several decades of decline, the city's current urban structure is clearly not optimal for its size, with a business district immediately surrounded by a ring of largely vacant neighborhoods. We propose a model with residential externalities that features multiple equilibria at the neighborhood level. In particular, developing a residential area requires the coordination of developers and residents, without which it may remain vacant even if its fundamentals are sound. We embed this mechanism in a quantitative spatial economics model and use it to rationalize current city allocations. We then use the model to evaluate existing strategic visions to revitalize Detroit, and to design alternative plans that rely on 'development guarantees' to yield better outcomes. The widespread effects of these policies underscore the importance of using a general equilibrium framework to evaluate policy proposals.

Keywords: Urban Economics; Regional Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F0 H0 R0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 45 pages
Date: 2017-02-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Rethinking Detroit (2020)
Working Paper: Rethinking Detroit (2018)
Working Paper: Rethinking Detroit (2017)
Working Paper: Rethinking Detroit (2017)
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