IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirb/v50y2023i2p434-452.html

How to harmonise variations in streetscape skeletons under zoning regulations: Considering their external diseconomies

Author

Listed:
  • Hiroyuki Usui

Abstract

The arrangement of buildings along roads creates one of the most fundamental patterns of three-dimensional streetscape skeletons, primarily defined as a set of building heights and setbacks in a district. Under zoning regulations, building heights and setbacks are indirectly controlled by the building coverage ratio (BCR) and the floor area ratio (FAR). Variations in the BCR result in variations in streetscape skeletons. Moderate complexity of streetscape skeletons is a necessary condition for aesthetic streetscape. Understanding the relationships between variations in the BCR, building heights and setbacks is thus important in order to harmonise streetscape skeletons, smaller variations in building heights, and setbacks, however, this relationship has yet to be theoretically investigated due to the complex relationship between buildings. The objective of this paper is therefore to formulate the relationship between variations in building heights and setbacks as a function of the standard deviation of BCR, and, based on this formulation, to discuss how to indirectly harmonise variations in streetscape skeletons under zoning regulations. This formulation enables us to analytically investigate the relationship between these two functions and the standard deviation of a BCR. An indirect scheme for harmonising variations in streetscape skeletons under zoning regulations is proposed on the basis of this formulation. The external diseconomies of inharmonious streetscape skeletons are quantitatively defined in order to incentivise plot owners to harmonise streetscape skeletons. The optimal building height and setback criteria are computed, which minimises the social cost of inharmonious building heights and building setbacks in a district. This scheme for incentivising plot owners to reduce their social costs is expected to contribute to indirectly harmonising streetscape skeletons.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiroyuki Usui, 2023. "How to harmonise variations in streetscape skeletons under zoning regulations: Considering their external diseconomies," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(2), pages 434-452, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:50:y:2023:i:2:p:434-452
    DOI: 10.1177/23998083221116121
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23998083221116121
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/23998083221116121?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. Hiroyuki Usui, 2021. "Building height distribution under zoning regulations: Theoretical derivation based on allometric scaling analysis and application to harmonise building heights," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(9), pages 2520-2535, November.
    2. Brueckner, Jan K., 2011. "Lectures on Urban Economics," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262016362, December.
    3. M. Batty & R. Carvalho & A. Hudson-Smith & R. Milton & D. Smith & P. Steadman, 2008. "Scaling and allometry in the building geometries of Greater London," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 63(3), pages 303-314, June.
    4. Hiroyuki Usui & Yasushi Asami, 2020. "Size Distribution of Building Lots and Density of Buildings and Road Networks: Theoretical Derivation Based on Gibrat’s Law and Empirical Study of Downtown Districts in Tokyo," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 43(3), pages 229-253, May.
    5. Bertaud, Alain & Brueckner, Jan K., 2005. "Analyzing building-height restrictions: predicted impacts and welfare costs," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 109-125, March.
    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. Hiroyuki Usui, 2021. "Building height distribution under zoning regulations: Theoretical derivation based on allometric scaling analysis and application to harmonise building heights," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(9), pages 2520-2535, November.
    2. Hiroyuki Usui, 2024. "Relative spatial variability in building heights and its spatial association: Application for the spatial clustering of harmonious and inharmonious building heights in Tokyo," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 51(4), pages 987-1002, May.
    3. Hiroyuki Usui, 2023. "Comparison of precise and approximated building height: Estimation from number of building storeys and spatial variations in the Tokyo metropolitan region," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(2), pages 487-499, February.
    4. Denant-Boemont, Laurent & Gaigné, Carl & Gaté, Romain, 2018. "Urban spatial structure, transport-related emissions and welfare," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 29-45.
    5. Dascher, Kristof, 2013. "City Silhouette, World Climate," MPRA Paper 48375, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Paolo Avner & Vincent Viguié & Bramka Arga Jafino & Stephane Hallegatte, 2022. "Flood Protection and Land Value Creation – Not all Resilience Investments Are Created Equal," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 417-449, November.
    7. Jinwon Kim & Jucheol Moon & Dongyun Yang, 2024. "Pigouvian Congestion Tolls and the Welfare Gain: Estimates for California Freeways," Working Papers 2402, Nam Duck-Woo Economic Research Institute, Sogang University (Former Research Institute for Market Economy).
    8. Li, Jiewei & Lu, Ming & Lu, Tianyi, 2022. "Constructing compact cities: How urban regeneration can enhance growth and relieve congestion," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    9. Christian A. L. Hilber, 2017. "The Economic Implications of House Price Capitalization: A Synthesis," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 45(2), pages 301-339, April.
    10. repec:plo:pone00:0243621 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. He, Xiaoping, 2022. "Energy effect of urban diversity: An empirical study from a land-use perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    12. John I. Carruthers & Gordon F. Mulligan, 2013. "Through the Crisis," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 27(2), pages 124-143, May.
    13. Mariano Kulish & Anthony Richards & Christian Gillitzer, 2012. "Urban Structure and Housing Prices: Some Evidence from Australian Cities," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 88(282), pages 303-322, September.
    14. Le Blanc, David, 2005. "Economic evaluation of housing subsidy systems: a methodology with application to Morocco," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3529, The World Bank.
    15. Saumyabrata Chakrabarti & Vivekananda Mukherjee, 2022. "Role of transport infrastructure in birth of census towns in West Bengal," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 6(2), pages 593-616, June.
    16. Joan Carles Martori & Rafa Madariaga & Ramon Oller, 2016. "Real estate bubble and urban population density: six Spanish metropolitan areas 2001–2011," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 56(2), pages 369-392, March.
    17. Stefan Gabriel BURCEA, 2014. "Quality Of Life Of Vulnerable Groups Involved In Informal Waste Management Sector: A Critical Literature Review," Proceedings of Administration and Public Management International Conference, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 10(1), pages 286-294, June.
    18. Miguel-Angel Lopez Garcia, 2024. "Subsidios a la vivienda para los hogares de renta baja: un panorama," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 58, pages 33-69.
    19. William Larson, 2015. "New Estimates of Value of Land of the United States," BEA Working Papers 0120, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
    20. Cai, Hongbin & Wang, Zhi & Zhang, Qinghua, 2017. "To build above the limit? Implementation of land use regulations in urban China," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 223-233.
    21. Athanasios Votsis & Adriaan Perrels, 2016. "Housing Prices and the Public Disclosure of Flood Risk: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis in Finland," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 53(4), pages 450-471, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:50:y:2023:i:2:p:434-452. 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.