Modelling Spatial Housing Markets

Spatial fixity is one of the characteristics that distinguishes housing from most other goods and services in the economy. In general, housing cannot be moved from one part of the country to another in response to shortages or excesses in particular areas. The modelling of housing markets and the interlinkages between markets at different spatial levels - international, national, regional and urban - are the main themes of this book. A second major theme is disaggregation, not only in terms of space, but also between households. The book argues that aggregate time-series models of housing markets of the type widely used in Britain and also in other countries in the past have become less relevant in a world of increasing income dispersion. Typically, aggregate relationships will break down, except under special conditions. We can no longer assume that traditional location or tenure patterns, for example, will continue in the future. The book has four main components. First, it discusses trends in housing markets both internationally and within nations. Second, the book develops theoretical housing models at each spatial scale, starting with national models, moving down to the regional level and, then, to urban models. Third, the book provides empirical estimates of the models and, finally, the models are used for policy analysis. Analysis ranges over a wide variety of topics, including explanations for differing international house price trends, the causes of housing cycles, the role of credit markets, regional housing market interactions and the role of housing in urban/suburban population drift.

Originally published in 1982, this book contains research in the area of econometric modelling in the housing market, including that which has extended to the use of search models. The subjects covered include the importance of racial differences, spatial aspects of residential search and information provision and its effect on the behaviour of the buyers. The combination of careful analytic modelling, empirical testing and speculative discussions of the role of agents in the search process provides an innovative and imaginative approach to the interesting problems of understanding the individual behaviour in complex contexts such as the urban housing market.

A state of the art overview of theoretical and empirical aspects of housing market research.

House prices and mortgage debt have moved to centre stage in the management of national economies, regional development and neighbourhood change. Describing, analysing and understanding how housing markets work within and across these scales of economy and society has never been more urgent. But much more is known about the macro-scales than the microstructures; and about the economic rather than social drivers of housing market dynamics. This book redresses the balance. It shows that housing markets are social, cultural and psychological – as well as economic – affairs. This multidisciplinary approach is helpful in understanding the economic staples of supply, demand, price and information. It also casts new light on the emotional and political economy of markets.

Facility location theory develops the idea of locating one or more facilities by optimizing suitable criteria such as minimizing transportation cost, or capturing the largest market share. The contributions in this book focus an approach to facility location theory through game theoretical tools highlighting situations where a location decision is faced by several decision makers and leading to a game theoretical framework in non-cooperative and cooperative methods. Models and methods regarding the facility location via game theory are explored and applications are illustrated through economics, engineering, and physics. Mathematicians, engineers, economists and computer scientists working in theory, applications and computational aspects of facility location problems using game theory will find this book useful.

The present volume is an outgrowth of several years' interactions be tween U. S. American and W. -German economists interested in analyzing the structure and functioning of housing markets, and the impacts of govern mental policies on these markets. Such an interaction turns out to be fruitful in several respects. Unquestionably, German economists can learn a lot from the high level of sophistication exhibited in much of the American literature. However, this is not a one way road of learning and the adoption of concepts, for the following reason. Most of the analysis presented in that literature hinges on the use of the standard microeco nomics textbook tools. Now, even a casual observation of housing markets in European countries reveals that behavior and conduct in these markets do not follow the assumptions presumed in this mode of analysis, which calls into question the uncritical employment of that tool kit. This has important consequences for policy analysis and indeed, for some principal attitudes towards housing policy, and points sharply to the need for developing analytical concepts that take up more of the pecul iarities of housing market behavior and conduct. While such a develop ment may be particularly warranted in view of European housing markets, we maintain this to be the case in view of the American housing market as well.