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How Differences in Property Taxes within Cities Affect Urban Sprawl?

Author

Listed:
  • Song, Yan

    (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA)

  • Zenou, Yves

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))

Abstract

This article attempts a formal analysis of the connection between the differentiated property tax rates within urban areas and urban spatial pattern in U.S. cities. We first develop a duocentric-city model where the Central Business District (CBD) is located at the origin while the Suburban Business District (SBD) is at the other end of the city. We show that the ratio between the property tax in the suburbs and in the center has an ambiguous impact on the size of the city. We then test this model empirically to determine this sign by using a dataset of effective property tax rates we developed using GIS techniques for central cities and suburbs in 445 urbanized areas. The empirical analysis estimates the link between these two variables by controlling for variables such as population, income, agricultural rent, commuting cost, climate, crime, and employment structure. Results from the empirical analyses suggest that a lower property tax rate in the suburbs in comparison to the central city is associated with more expansive urban growth and greater level of decentralization of population and employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Song, Yan & Zenou, Yves, 2008. "How Differences in Property Taxes within Cities Affect Urban Sprawl?," Working Paper Series 754, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0754
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    Cited by:

    1. Deininger,Klaus W. & Jin,Songqing & Liu,Shouying & Shao,Ting & Xia,Fang, 2015. "Impact of property rights reform to support China?s rural-urban integration : village-level evidence from the Chengdu national experiment," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7389, The World Bank.
    2. Tomomi Miyazaki & Motohiro Sato, 2019. "Property Tax Reform and Land Use: Evidence from Japan," Working Papers 181905, University of California-Irvine, Department of Economics.
    3. Yan Song & Yves Zenou, 2009. "How Do Differences In Property Taxes Within Cities Affect Urban Sprawl?," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5), pages 801-831, December.
    4. Ying, Jiang Qian, 2024. "Optimization of regulation and fiscal policies for urban residential land use and traffic network management," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    5. Deininger, Klaus & Jin, Songqing & Liu, Shouying & Xia, Fang, 2015. "Household-level impacts of property rights reform in peri-urban China: Evidence from the Chengdu National Experiment," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205753, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Deininger,Klaus W. & Jin,Songqing & Liu,Shouying & Xia,Fang, 2015. "Impact of property rights reform to support China?s rural-urban integration : household-level evidence from the Chengdu national experiment," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7388, The World Bank.
    7. Lisa Marie Timm & Massimo Giuliodori & Paul Muller, 2025. "Tax Incentives for Migrants with Mid-level Earnings: Evidence from the Netherlands," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 42-79, July.
    8. Li, Jun, 2011. "Decoupling urban transport from GHG emissions in Indian cities--A critical review and perspectives," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3503-3514, June.
    9. Tomomi MIYAZAKI & Motohiro SATO, 2018. "Property Tax and Land Use: Evidence from the 1990s reforms in Japan," Discussion papers 18072, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    10. Miyazaki, Tomomi & Sato, Motohiro, 2022. "Property tax and farmland use in urban areas: Evidence from the reform in the early 1990s in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    11. Klaus Deininger & Songqing Jin & Shouying Liu & Fang Xia, 2020. "Property rights reform to support China’s rural ‐ urban integration: household‐level evidence from the Chengdu experiment," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 64(1), pages 30-54, January.
    12. Ermini, Barbara & Santolini, Raffaella, 2015. "Differentiated property tax and urban sprawl in Italian urbanized areas," MPRA Paper 65460, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Lehmann, Etienne & Montero Ledezma, Paola L. & Linden, Bruno Van der, 2016. "Workforce location and equilibrium unemployment in a duocentric economy with matching frictions," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 26-44.
    14. Groves, Jeremy R., 2009. "The impact of positive property tax differentials on the timing of development," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 739-748, November.
    15. Chen, Yong, 2020. "Effects of development tax on leapfrog sprawl in a thinly traded land market," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    16. Rafael González‐Val, 2010. "The Evolution Of U.S. City Size Distribution From A Long‐Term Perspective (1900–2000)," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5), pages 952-972, December.
    17. Wassmer, Robert W., 2016. "Further empirical evidence on residential property taxation and the occurrence of urban sprawl," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 73-85.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns

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