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Technical Papers
Jun 25, 2020

Walkability, Safety, and Housing Values in Shrinking Cities: Spatial Hedonic Study in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Detroit

Authors: Li Yin [email protected], Hao Zhang https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2891-0455 [email protected], Kelly Patterson [email protected], Robert Silverman https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2155-7871 [email protected], and Liang Wu [email protected]Author Affiliations
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 146, Issue 3
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000595
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Abstract

The growing market demand for pedestrian and transit-oriented communities can be capitalized into higher housing values and can generate much-needed revenue for shrinking cities. Few studies, however, have examined sufficiently walkability and its economic outcomes, especially for shrinking cities. Using geographically weighted regression (GWR) models, this study examines the impact of neighborhood walkability, measured by Walk Score and an accessibility–walkability index constructed for shrinking cities on property values of single-family and duplex homes in three rust belt shrinking cities—Buffalo (New York), Pittsburgh, and Detroit. The results suggest that, controlling for spatial autocorrelation effects, GWR models perform more robustly than the traditional ordinary least-squares models. The findings showed that the impact of walkability on single and two-family housing sales in these three cities is significant. Our findings highlight the economic premium of safe and pedestrian-oriented communities in the housing market of shrinking cities and provide validated and empirical evidence for policy implications and approaches that help promote more walkable communities for the redevelopment of shrinking cities.

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Information & Authors

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Published In

Go to Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 146 • Issue 3 • September 2020

Copyright

© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.

History

Received: Sep 27, 2019
Accepted: Mar 24, 2020
Published online: Jun 25, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 25, 2020

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ASCE Technical Topics:

  1. Analysis (by type)
  2. Business management
  3. Economic factors
  4. Engineering fundamentals
  5. Financial management
  6. Housing
  7. Infrastructure
  8. Pedestrians and cyclists
  9. Practice and Profession
  10. Public administration
  11. Public health and safety
  12. Regression analysis
  13. Residential location
  14. Revenues
  15. Safety
  16. Statistical analysis (by type)
  17. Traffic engineering
  18. Transportation engineering
  19. Urban and regional development
  20. Urban areas

Authors

Affiliations

Li Yin [email protected]
Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, Univ. at Buffalo, State Univ. of New York, 3435 Main St., Hayes Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214 (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]
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Hao Zhang https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2891-0455 [email protected]
Ph.D. Student, School of Architecture and Planning, Univ. at Buffalo, State Univ. of New York, 3435 Main St., Hayes Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2891-0455. Email: [email protected]
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Kelly Patterson [email protected]
Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Univ. at Buffalo, State Univ. of New York, 685 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260. Email: [email protected]
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Robert Silverman https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2155-7871 [email protected]
Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, Univ. at Buffalo, State Univ. of New York, 3435 Main St., Hayes Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2155-7871. Email: [email protected]
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Liang Wu [email protected]
Professor, Faculty of Information Engineering, China Univ. of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China. Email: [email protected]
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