Lights and Shadows of Urban Water Demand Management: The Case of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona

The economic, social, and environmental limits of supplying water to metropolitan areas through conventional means (reservoirs, water transfers, etc.) have resulted in growing consideration of demand management actions as well as in the use of non-conventional sources of supply. In terms of demand management, economic instruments (pricing and taxes), domestic water-saving technologies, and educational campaigns to encourage water saving during periods of drought have received special attention. While demand management policies have an effect on conserving water and therefore should be welcome, they present problems and uncertainties as well. Using the example of the metropolitan region of Barcelona, in this article I argue that water demand management policies may be insufficient for reaching their ultimate goal of controlled water consumption when confronted with structural changes in urban development such as the expansion of low-density growth, the multiplication of the number of households, or gains in income, all of which lead to a potentially greater demand for water. This calls for more integration of water policies with land use and urban development policies.     

THE IMPACT OF STATE LAND-USECONTROLS ON RESIDENTIAL LAND VALUES

In this paper, we examine the effects of state land-use controls on the aggregate demand and supply of residential land. Previous studies have examined the effect of land-use regulation on housing prices using single-equation estimation. We estimate a three-equation intejurisdidional supply-demand model of land-use controls. Our results suggest that land-use regulations have a significant impact on both the demand and supply of residentid land as expected.     

GIS辅助城市用地结构分析与用地调整的应用初探

面对复杂的城市问题,单一学科的理论和方法往往束手无策,交叉学科的研究是近年来城市问题研究的主要趋势之一,特别是随着GIS的发展,借助GIS及相关学科的研究方法和手段进行城市现状分析和预测将是城市学领域发展的重要方向之一。本文以湖北省崇阳县白霓镇为例,借用经济学供需基本概蓬和分析方法,结合社会学的调查研究方法,利用系统工程方法和GIS技术,在深入调查的基础上,开创性地提出城市用地供需度的概念,并从它们与区位之间关系的角度出发分析用地结构,探讨了GIS在城市用地结构分析与辅助用地调整方面的应用,旨在抛砖引玉,引起同行们对新技术条件下传统研究方法革新的重视。     

THE IMPACT OF MIXED LAND USE ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VALUES*

ABSTRACT Contemporary European urban planning policies aim to mix land uses in compact neighborhoods. It is presumed that mixing land uses yields socioeconomic benefits and therefore has a positive effect on housing values. In this paper, we investigate the impact of mixed land use on housing values using semiparametric estimation techniques. We demonstrate that a diverse neighborhood is positively valued by households. There are various land use types that have a positive impact on house prices, e.g., business services and leisure. Land uses that are incompatible with residential land use are, among others, manufacturing and wholesale. It appears that households are willing to pay about 2.5 percent more for a house in a mixed neighborhood. We also show that there is substantial heterogeneity in willingness to pay for mixed land use. For example, only apartment occupiers are willing to pay for an increase in diversity, whereas households living in other house types are not willing to pay for diversity.     

Artificial Scarcity in Housebuilding and the Impact on Affordability: The Return of Absolute Rent

The slow response of volume housebuilders to changes in demand has been cited as a contributing cause of a global crisis of housing affordability and allegations of land banking have persistently dogged the industry. This article reviews the supply responsiveness of speculative housebuilders in the United Kingdom and Australia through the neglected Marxian analytic category of absolute rent. Absolute rent directs attention to the relationship between the value of land and the cost of housing and models a market in which landowners may withdraw land from supply to inflate prices. Through the lens of absolute rent, the real estate practices of the housebuilding industry can be understood as a strategy of artificial scarcity straddling land and housing markets. The findings of this investigation demonstrate the insights to be gained by a return to absolute rent that valuably expand the current debate on the supply and cost of housing.     

20世纪下半叶中国学者对土地政策的研究述评

20世纪下半叶 ,大陆及港台学者围绕中国土地政策的基本理论和具体的土地政策发表了许多不同见解 ,取得了丰硕的成果。本文对此阶段的研究概况及主要成果作了简要介绍 ,对土地政策一般理论的研究、农村土地政策和城市土地政策等方面的研究中 ,存在的重点与热点问题进行了分析与概述 ,反映了近 5 0年来中国土地政策发展变迁的基本轮廓。     

LAND AND URBAN ECONOMIC GROWTH IN CHINA*

ABSTRACT Land to accommodate urban development in China is provided through requisitions by government officials, suggesting that land availability may be a constraint on urban economic growth. An econometric model of urban GDP growth suggests that land has constrained economic growth in coastal areas but not elsewhere. Elasticities calculated from the estimated coefficients indicate that land availability has a larger proportional impact on economic growth than domestic and foreign investment, labor supply, and government spending. The estimated parameters provide evidence about arbitrage opportunities created by discrepancies between urban land value and compensation for requisitioned rural land, suggesting rural unrest associated with conversion of farmland to urban uses may have some economic roots.     

大城市外围地区流动人口结构及其城镇建设用地使用特征研究——以深圳市平湖镇为例

文章以深圳市平湖镇为例,通过实地考察和典型调查,对大城市外围地区流动人口的结构及其城镇建设用地使用特征进行研究。发现平湖的流动人口结构较为简单,大多数是来自我国西南落后地区青壮年农村剩余劳动力,并且以务工和经商为主。由于其从业特征的差异,务工和经商人员分别集中在城镇工业区和商业区内,人口分布密度较高,人均建设用地面积严重偏低。文章认为在大城市外围地区的城市规划中必须加强对流动人口的用地需求研究,以解决大规模的流动人口与相对紧缺的城镇用地之间的矛盾,并且进一步做了平湖流动人口用地需求分析,提出其规划调整建议。     

Urban Planning System in Contemporary Spain

This work analyses the main Spanish legislative and urban planning instruments, highlighting some of the most important structural problems of the current Spanish urban realities. The survey on legislation runs from the first Land Use Act of 1956 to the decentralization of the administration and the culmination of the transfer processes to the respective Spanish regions. Later, we study the complete well-structured hierarchy of urban planning instruments in use at present. Finally, we analyse how these and other factors have an influence on the capacity to control housing prices and on a lack of sustainability characterized by the excessive urbanizing use of the land.     

广州市高峰小时居住用地交通产生与分布——基于出租车GPS起讫关联的分析

本文以广州为案例,通过通勤高峰期间出租车GPS数据的时空挖掘,分析基于GPS起讫关联的居住地交通产生与分布特征,并讨论其所隐含的城市职住空间关系及在交通需求分析中的潜在价值。研究发现居住用地交通产生的出行距离存在ZIPF法则所表现的衰减规律,到达工业、商业金融和公共服务等用地的距离依次降低,而空间上距离呈中心城区向郊区增加的同心环模式。此外,本文还尝试从交通模型参数设定、职-住关系等方面探讨本文研究的应用方向。     

城市企业主义视角下的中国城市增长机制研究

我国城市发展自本世纪以来呈现出加快发展的趋势。然而,这一进程尚不均衡和协调。本文通过城市企业主义这一视角,分析中国城市实现空间与经济迅速增长的机制及其所面临的问题。文章首先考察了2001-2009年间的公共财政结构,揭示出中国地方政府治理模式,并对其背后的制度原因进行了分析,以体现出城市企业主义是如何受到高度集中的行政考评体系和分税制这一转型期财政体制的影响。文章接着对地方政府为实现其城市企业主义战略而采用的土地驱动型发展模式进行了研究,最后提出了中国城市发展亟待转型的呼吁。     

基于企业综合效益评价的城市土地集约利用研究——以张家港市为例

中国目前已进入新型工业化和城镇化转型发展的新阶段。尽管如此,土地资源特别是城市建设用地的供给与需求之间矛盾仍然很突出,土地集约利用问题也一直是影响城市经济社会可持续发展的关键因素之一。目前,土地集约利用评价一般集中在宏观和中观尺度,难以反映各微观经济主体土地利用状况等深层次问题。本文以张家港市为例,从微观层面对市域范围内规模以上工业企业用地集约性进行评价,提出基于企业综合效益的土地集约利用评价体系,并借助ArcGIS工具进行空间匹配,为更清晰地理解和判断城市土地集约使用状况,指导城市工业布局优化、土地利用效率提高提供了一种新的方法。     

The Local Drivers of Land Degradation in South‐East Asia

Economic globalisation has led to a huge increase in demand for food, goods and services by expanding urban middle class populations. These demands cause environmental changes that in turn feed back upon the urban environment and human population. While the global changes are well researched, the cumulative significance of local environmental changes is less well known. Yet, the local changes may have greater impact on the decisions which individuals make that affect soil erosion and land degradation. People respond to family circumstances and to local economic opportunities in ways that most suit the needs of their families and households. Several demonstration projects that were not adopted offer lessons in understanding how people make their land‐use decisions. An understanding of people's past experiences, present needs and views of the future helps those seeking to improve environmental management to promote policies and actions that are likely to succeed by being acceptable to those involved.     

我国西部地区大学生旅游行为研究——以陕西省为例

大学生是我国旅游市场的一支重要力量。根据2006年4-6月对陕西省七所高校学生旅游行为的问卷调查,对大学生旅游偏好、旅游消费水平、旅游组织方式、旅游空间行为及旅游服务与价格评价进行分析研究。结果表明:大学生普遍喜欢旅游,对自然类风景区更热衷,旅游动机以观光游览、度假休闲为主,旅游时间上表现出较强的集中性,暑假是大学生旅游最集中的时段;陕西大学生平均旅游花费为394元,80%的大学生旅游花费和月均生活总支出在500元以内,旅游花费约占大学生各种生活支出的15%;旅游组织方式呈现出与同学朋友结伴出游为主的小群体出游特征;中短距离的省内旅游是主体,80%的旅游活动在800公里范围以内,较吴曲线略远;大学生对旅游服务质量基本满意,但旅游服务价格相对较贵。     

RESEARCH BRIEFING: EU accession and the Bulgarian real estate market

Accession of Bulgaria to the European Union (EU) is expected to result in an increase in the prices of all types of real estate as changes are expected to differ across the segments of the national real-estate market. Property prices have been influenced primarily by local demand, government policies and the perception that EU accession is promoting investment. It is likely that prices of flats will further differentiate, the market for office space will stabilize, the provision of infrastructure will importantly influence prices in holiday resorts and of industrial estates, and agricultural land prices will upsurge initially.     

Europeanization as Discontinuous Adjustment: A Düsseldorf Court's Impact on Land Development Practice

Within the Single European Market, rules govern the procurement of public works contracts and concessions. While recent judgments by the European Court of Justice indicate that these rules could have a considerable impact on future land development planning, there has not yet been widespread Europeanization of local land development practice. In Germany, however, the Oberlandesgericht in Düsseldorf (OLGD) has ruled that European public procurement rules must be followed in those cases in which the land sold forms part of an urban development plan. This has had a significant impact on German practice, with the number of official publications of tenders for land sales by German local authorities increasing from 3 in 2006 to 100 in 2008. This paper analyses the arguments that have been put forward by the OLGD and their impact on practice. We also reflect on how Europeanization as the application of European legislation in urban planning contexts not only constitutes a form of supranational intervention in local practices, but also depends on local agencies drawing on European-level powers in order to have an effect.     

RESEARCH IN PROGRESS IN SCANDINAVIA

The authors quantitatively analyze the effect of railroad construction on agricultural land values in the often overlooked, agriculturally oriented, trans-Mississippi West. This region is unique in American history in that, at the end of the nineteenth century, the railroad itself preceded widespread settlement. Using a hedonic model, they show that railroad transport increased agricultural land values in this region by more than 20 percent, which had a larger impact than recent studies have found for other regions. Moreover, the authors found that the addition of a railroad to a county significantly increased its growth in land values. This finding is contrary to that of existing studies. Finally, the authors show statistically that the railroad and land values were not endogenously determined, lending credibility to the causality of the results presented in their hedonic and growth models. These results indicate a valuable alternative approach to use in the historical analysis of transportation infrastructure and its impact on land prices.     

中国城镇土地非均衡扩张路径与治理策略研究

用经济学中的资源配置理论解释城镇土地非均衡扩张,根据城镇土地扩张的机理不同,把城镇土地分为工业用地、居住用地、基础设施用地,并分别考察了其非均衡扩张路径,在此基础上,从"制度环境-政绩目标-政策工具"三方面提出了非均衡扩张的治理策略。结果认为:招商引资过程中竞相以低地价供地导致了工业用地非均衡扩张;对土地财政的过分追逐导致了居住用地非均衡扩张;地方政府为攫取政治晋升资本,大兴城市基础设施建设导致了基础设施用地非均衡扩张;为系统控制城镇土地非均衡扩张,应在"制度环境-政绩目标-政策工具"三个层次上制定相关治理策略。     

ECONOMIC FUNDAMENTALS AND URBAN–SUBURBAN DISPARITIES

ABSTRACT This paper develops a spatially explicit model to examine how urban and suburban communities evolve differently with changes in local economic fundamentals such as rising income or falling commuting costs in the metropolitan area. The model highlights the importance of environmental amenities and the economy of scale in the provision of public services as determinants of urban spatial structure. Results suggest that urban sprawl, income segregation, and jurisdictional disparities are driven by the same economic conditions and thus tend to co‐exist. Rising incomes or falling commuting costs for high‐income households in a metropolitan area tend to increase land prices and public services in every community, while rising incomes or falling commuting costs for low‐income households can have the opposite effects.     

THE IMPACT OF CRIME ON APARTMENT PRICES: EVIDENCE FROM STOCKHOLM,SWEDEN

This study uses data of about 9,000 apartment sales in Stockholm, Sweden, to assess the impact of crime on property prices. The study employs hedonic pricing modelling to estimate the impact of crime controlling for other factors (property and neighbourhood characteristics). Geographic Information System (GIS) is used to combine apartment sales by coordinates with offences, land use characteristics and demographic data of the population. The novelty of this research is threefold. First, it explores a set of land use attributes created by spatial techniques in GIS in combination with detailed geographical data in hedonic pricing modelling. Second, the effect of crime in neighbouring zones at one place can be measured by incorporating spatial lagged variables of offence rates into the model. Third, the study provides evidence of the impact of crime on housing prices in a capital city of a traditional welfare state, information otherwise lacking in the international literature. Our results indicate that apartment prices in a specific area are strongly affected by crime in its neighbouring zones, regardless of crime type. When offences were broken down by types, residential burglary, theft, vandalism, assault and robbery individually had a significant negative effect on property values. However, for residential burglary such an effect is not homogenous across space, and apartment prices in central areas are often less discounted by being exposed to crime than those in the city's outskirts.