The Oxford Handbook of Urban Economics and Planning (Oxford Handbooks) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195380622 ISBN 13: 9780195380620

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2011

Synopsis

This volume embodies a problem-driven and theoretically informed approach to bridging frontier research in urban economics and urban/regional planning. The authors focus on the interface between these two subdisciplines that have historically had an uneasy relationship.

Although economists were among the early contributors to the literature on urban planning, many economists have been dismissive of a discipline whose leading scholars frequently favor regulations over market institutions, equity over efficiency, and normative prescriptions over positive analysis. Planners, meanwhile, even as they draw upon economic principles, often view the work of economists as abstract, not sensitive to institutional contexts, and communicated in a formal language spoken by few with decision making authority. Not surprisingly, papers in the leading economic journals rarely cite clearly pertinent papers in planning journals, and vice versa.

Despite the historical divergence in perspectives and methods, urban economics and urban planning share an intense interest in many topic areas: the nature of cities, the prosperity of urban economies, the provision of urban services, efficient systems of transportation, and the proper allocation of land between urban and environmental uses. In bridging this gap, this book highlights the best scholarship in planning and economics that addresses the most pressing urban problems of our day and will stimulate further dialog between scholars in urban planning and urban economics.

About this title

About the Author:

Nancy Brooks is Visiting Associate Professor at Cornell University in the Department of City and Regional Planning, and has also been on the economics department faculty at the University of Vermont. She earned her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995. Her research interests are in applied urban and environmental economics. She has published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management and the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.

Kieran Donaghy is Professor and Chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. He holds a Ph.D. in regional science from Cornell University. He has studied issues in transportation, land use, housing, labor markets, and the environment. Much of his recent research concerns the impacts of globalization and climate change on regions and how resource-rich regions can avoid the "resource curse."

Gerrit-Jan Knaap is Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education at the University of Maryland. Knaap's research interests include the economics and politics of land use planning, the efficacy of economic development instruments, and the impacts of environmental policy. He serves on the State of Maryland's Smart Growth Subcabinet and Sustainable Growth Commission and the Science and Technical Advisory Committee to the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Knaap earned his B.S. from Willamette University, his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, and received post-doctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, all in economics.

Review:

"The Oxford Handbook of Urban Economics and Planning provides an overview of the intersections of urban economics and planning, taking into consideration diverse aspects, ranging from economic segregation to zoning regulations. Overall, this book is a great resource for urban planning, public policy, and urban economics courses, meeting its aim of spurring cross-disciplinary discussions and at the same time spotlighting interesting research and scholarhip from prominent scholars and academics." -- Alainna C. Thomas, University of California, Davis

"The large number of chapters results in coverage of a wide range of topics, all treated analytically and many augmented with empirical evidence.... Teachers and students of urban economics as well as urban planners will find it quite valuable. Highly recommended."--CHOICE

"The editors of this handbook set out to bridge the disciplines of urban economics and city and regional planning and have succeeded wonderfully. They have put together a remarkably comprehensive set of original chapters written by leading scholars that address many of the critical issues facing contemporary urban areas. They also present and critically analyze a variety of tools for addressing those issues. This handbook is an essential reference volume and can be used in upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses in urban economics and planning."--William M. Rohe, Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"This timely and important collection goes well beyond the traditional urban economics canon of externalities, bid-rent theory and public choice theory to uncover the economic principles and practices by which real urban places actually function. A section on the application of urban economics principles in Asia and developing countries is especially welcome. Were I developing an advanced undergraduate course or introductory graduate course on urban economics for a globalizing world, this is the text I'd use."--John D. Landis, Crossways Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania

"The Oxford Handbook of Urban Economics and Planning brings together many of the leading thinkers in economics and planning who show how economics informs planning decisions and how planning informs economic thinking. The handbook covers the waterfront in contemporary planning concerns and promises to become a leading text for courses in planning and economics."--Arthur C. Nelson, Presidential Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah

"As an urban economist within an interdisciplinary research center, I very much welcome this volume. There is much that economists and planners can learn from one another and this volume of carefully done essays takes us a far way down this mutually advantageous path. Moreover, the comprehensive and diverse contributions by leading researchers in their field bring readers up to speed on the current state of knowledge on almost every major topical area relevant to cities and regions."--Keith R. Ihlanfeldt, Devoe Moore Eminent Scholar and Professor of Economics, Florida State University

"This ambitious collection of thirty-nine essays provides a feast for urban economists and regional planners. Topics range from urban sprawl to homelessness, from gentrification to disaster preparedness. Each essay is by a recognized authority, and each is designed to integrate the economic and planning approaches to a particular issue in urban development. The handbook makes absorbing reading and is a great achievement by the editors."--John M. Quigley, I. Donald Terner Distinguished Professor, University of California, Berkeley

"For most of my career, urban planners and urban economists have been two solitudes, considering the same issues, but not talking to each other very much. This book does a great service by creating a conversation between the two. Both planners and economists will find that they have a lot to learn from their fellow urbanists' contributions to this excellent volume."--William Strange, Professor of Real Estate and Urban Economics, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and Editor, Journal of Urban Economics

"The authors don't aim to help planners solve nuts-and-bolts problems, rather help them-and their educators-understand ways of thinking about issues. The majority of the economists are concrete, empirical, and rely on fairly basic microeconomic theory. The extensive reviews of literature are a strong point, and reinforce connections to reality by being honest when empirical work doesn't offer confident conclusions. Readers already familiar with the topics will value those reviews. The author and subject indexes are excellent. The book is actually not best suited to practicing planners, rather to economists and planning academics who teach urban economics, planning, and public policy. Teachers will find new ways to handle various topics and guides to literature. As for planning students...many essays are useful for their theory, history, data, and logical arguments that will stimulate discussion. Overall, the book is diverse in style of exposition and topics."--Journal of Regional Science

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0195380622
• ISBN 13: 9780195380620
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1032
• Editor: Brooks Nancy, Donaghy Kieran, Knaap Gerrit-Jan