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Heterogeneous effects of urban transport infrastructure on population distribution: The role of educational access

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  • Mo, Jiawei

Abstract

This article investigates the heterogeneous effects of urban transport infrastructure on population distribution within a city. I focus on the case of Xiamen—a coastal city in China—where two bridges and a tunnel have been built to promote population growth on the city’s periphery. I first show that although population share increased substantially on the bridges-connected periphery, no significant growth in the population share was observed on the tunnel-connected periphery. This pattern is surprising, given that the reduction in the commuting distance enabled by the tunnel is more than five times as large as that enabled by the bridges. I then calibrate a quantitative urban model to demonstrate the importance of access to high-quality schools in explaining the distinct effects of the infrastructures. Counterfactual exercises suggest that increasing educational resources on the tunnel-connected periphery or relaxing the restriction on cross-district school enrollment may facilitate the intended population growth effect of the tunnel.

Suggested Citation

  • Mo, Jiawei, 2023. "Heterogeneous effects of urban transport infrastructure on population distribution: The role of educational access," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:101:y:2023:i:c:s0166046223000376
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2023.103902
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Urban transport infrastructure; Population distribution; Educational access;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • R42 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government and Private Investment Analysis; Road Maintenance; Transportation Planning

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