IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirb/v37y2010i3p408-428.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Problem with Zoning: Nonlinear Effects of Interactions between Location Preferences and Externalities on Land Use and Utility

Author

Listed:
  • Moira L Zellner

    (Urban Planning and Policy Program, and Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 412 S. Peoria (MC 348), Chicago, IL 60607-7065, USA)

  • Rick L Riolo

    (Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan, 323 West Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA)

  • William Rand

    (Robert H Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, 3457 Van Munching Hall, College Park, MD 20742-1815, USA)

  • Daniel G Brown

    (School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, 3505 Dana Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA)

  • Scott E Page

    (Center for the Study of Complex Systems, Department of Political Science, and Department of Economics, University of Michigan, 321 West Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA)

  • Luis E Fernandez

    (Department of Biology, Stanford University, and Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama St, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

Abstract

An important debate in the literature on exurban sprawl is whether low-density development results from residential demand, as operationalized by developers, or from exclusionary zoning policies. Central to this debate is the purpose of zoning, which could alternatively be a mechanism to increase the utility of residents by separating land uses and reducing spillover effects of development, or an obstacle to market mechanisms that would otherwise allow the realization of residential preferences. To shed light on this debate, we developed an agent-based model of land-use change to study how the combined effects of zoning-enforcement levels, density preferences, preference heterogeneity, and negative externalities from development affect exurban development and the utility of residents. Our computational experiments show that sprawl is not inevitable, even when most of the population prefers low densities. The presence of negative externalities consistently encourage sprawl while decreasing average utility and flattening the utility distribution. Zoning can reduce sprawl by concentrating development in specific areas, but in doing so decreases average utility and increases inequality. Zoning does not internalize externalities; instead, it contains externalities in areas of different development density so that residents bear the burden of the external effects of the density they prefer. Effects vary with residential preference distributions and levels of zoning enforcement. These initial investigations can help inform policy makers about the conditions under which zoning enforcement is preferable to free-market development and vice versa. Future work will focus on the environmental impacts of different settlement patterns and the role land-use and market-based policies play in this relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Moira L Zellner & Rick L Riolo & William Rand & Daniel G Brown & Scott E Page & Luis E Fernandez, 2010. "The Problem with Zoning: Nonlinear Effects of Interactions between Location Preferences and Externalities on Land Use and Utility," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 37(3), pages 408-428, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:37:y:2010:i:3:p:408-428
    DOI: 10.1068/b35053
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/b35053
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/b35053?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael P Johnson, 2001. "Environmental Impacts of Urban Sprawl: A Survey of the Literature and Proposed Research Agenda," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 33(4), pages 717-735, April.
    2. Sen, Amartya, 1973. "On Economic Inequality," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198281931.
    3. John H. Miller & Scott E. Page, 2007. "Social Science in Between, from Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life," Introductory Chapters, in: Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life, Princeton University Press.
    4. John H. Miller & Scott E. Page, 2007. "Complexity in Social Worlds, from Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life," Introductory Chapters, in: Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life, Princeton University Press.
    5. Elena G. Irwin, 2002. "Interacting agents, spatial externalities and the evolution of residential land use patterns," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 2(1), pages 31-54, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bier, Vicki & Gutfraind, Alexander, 2019. "Risk analysis beyond vulnerability and resilience – characterizing the defensibility of critical systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(2), pages 626-636.
    2. Citera, Emanuele & Sau, Lino, 2019. "Complexity, Conventions and Instability: the role of monetary policy," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201924, University of Turin.
    3. Theodosio, Bruno Miller & Weber, Jan, 2023. "Back to the classics: R-evolution towards statistical equilibria," ifso working paper series 28, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).
    4. Jeffery S. McMullen & Dimo Dimov, 2013. "Time and the Entrepreneurial Journey: The Problems and Promise of Studying Entrepreneurship as a Process," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(8), pages 1481-1512, December.
    5. Andrew W. Bausch, 2014. "Evolving intergroup cooperation," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 369-393, December.
    6. Levent Yilmaz, 2011. "Toward Multi-Level, Multi-Theoretical Model Portfolios for Scientific Enterprise Workforce Dynamics," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 14(4), pages 1-2.
    7. Mark Lubell & Adam Douglas Henry & Mike McCoy, 2010. "Collaborative Institutions in an Ecology of Games," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(2), pages 287-300, April.
    8. Gräbner, Claudius, 2016. "From realism to instrumentalism - and back? Methodological implications of changes in the epistemology of economics," MPRA Paper 71933, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Michael Rothgang & Jochen Dehio & Bernhard Lageman, 2019. "Analysing the effects of cluster policy: What can we learn from the German leading-edge cluster competition?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(6), pages 1673-1697, December.
    10. Christopher J. Burman & Marota Aphane, 2017. "Complex HIV/AIDS Landscapes: Reflections on How ‘Path Creation’ Influenced an Action-Oriented Intervention," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 45-66, February.
    11. Niceto S. Poblador, 2011. "The Strategy Dilemma : Why Big Business Moves Seldom Pan Out as Planned," UP School of Economics Discussion Papers 201105, University of the Philippines School of Economics.
    12. Martha G. Alatriste-Contreras & Martín Puchet Anyul, 2021. "The Spreading of Shocks in the North America Production Network and Its Relation to the Properties of the Network," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(21), pages 1-19, November.
    13. repec:lib:000cis:v:5:y:2017:i:1:p:26-34 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Flaminio Squazzoni, 2010. "The impact of agent-based models in the social sciences after 15 years of incursions," History of Economic Ideas, Fabrizio Serra Editore, Pisa - Roma, vol. 18(2), pages 197-234.
    15. Fuat Oğuz, 2020. "Hayekian complexity and the role of regulation in electricity markets," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 406-418, October.
    16. Mykola Odrekhivskyi & Orysya Pshyk-Kovalska & Volodymyr Zhezhukha & Iryna Ivanochko, 2022. "Intelligent Management of Enterprise Business Processes," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    17. Salter, Alexander William & Tarko, Vlad, 2017. "Polycentric banking and macroeconomic stability," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(2), pages 365-395, June.
    18. Li, Francis G.N. & Trutnevyte, Evelina & Strachan, Neil, 2015. "A review of socio-technical energy transition (STET) models," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 290-305.
    19. A. J. Burns & Clay Posey & James F. Courtney & Tom L. Roberts & Prabhashi Nanayakkara, 2017. "Organizational information security as a complex adaptive system: insights from three agent-based models," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 509-524, June.
    20. Chandra, Yanto & Wilkinson, Ian F., 2017. "Firm internationalization from a network-centric complex-systems perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 691-701.
    21. Margaret Hargreaves & Diane Paulsell, 2009. "Evaluating Systems Change Efforts to Support Evidence-Based Home Visiting: Concepts and Methods," Mathematica Policy Research Reports c24fc47e9c744b52a00e2137c, Mathematica Policy Research.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:37:y:2010:i:3:p:408-428. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.