Converting Land into Affordable Housing Floor Space

Bertaud, Alain

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCESSIBILITY;    ACCESSIBLE LOCATION;    ACCIDENTS;    ACCOUNTABILITY;    AFFORDABLE HOUSING;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6870
RP-ID  :  WPS6870

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Cities emerge from the spatialconcentration of people and economic activities. But spatialconcentration is not enough; the economic viability ofcities depends on people, ideas, and goods to move rapidlyacross the urban area. This constant movement within densecities creates wealth but also various degrees ofunpleasantness and misery that economists call negativeexternalities, such as congestion, pollution, andenvironmental degradation. In addition, the poorestinhabitants of many cities are often unable to afford aminimum-size dwelling with safe water and sanitation, as ifthe wealth created by cities was part of a zero-sum gamewhere the poor will be at the losing end. The main challengefor urban planners and economists is reducing cities'negative externalities without destroying the wealth createdby spatial concentration. To do that, they must plan anddesign infrastructure and regulations while leaving intactthe self-organizing created by land and labor markets. Thebalance between letting markets work and correcting marketexternalities through infrastructure investment andregulation is difficult to achieve. Too often, planners playsorcerer's apprentice when dealing with markets whosefunctioning they poorly understand. The role of the urbanplanner is then, first, to better understand the complexinteraction between market forces and governmentinterventions, infrastructure investment and regulation, andsecond, to design these interventions based on precisequantitative objectives. Each city's priorities woulddepend on its history, circumstances, and politicalenvironment. But maintaining mobility and keeping landaffordable remains the main urban planning objective commonto all cities.