This paper investigates the determinants of skyscraper height. First a simple model is provided where potential developers desire not only profits but also social status. In equilibrium, height is a function of both the costs and benefits of construction and the heights of surrounding buildings....

This brief profiles two programs, one statewide and one local, for analyzing, reporting, and using data to hold case managers and administrators accountable for increasing the work participation of TANF recipients. The selected strategies use data to keep staff informed about progress toward...

School absenteeism data may provide an early indicator of disease outbreaks. This paper describes an evaluation of the utility of these data for early detection of outbreaks in New York City. Moderate increases in absenteeism were observed among children during peak influenza season. Although...

Notes test score impacts for African Americans but not Latinos after three years. Also reveals higher levels of parent satisfaction with private schools and some aspects of the school climate.

The available estimates of the wage elasticity of male labor supply in the literature have varied between -0.2 and 0.2, implying that permanent wage increases have relatively small, poorly determined effects on labor supplied. The variation in existing estimates calls for a simple, natural...

An important measure of the capital–land ratio in urban areas is the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), which gives a building's total floor area divided by the plot size. Variations in the FAR across cities remain an understudied measure of urban spatial structure. We examine how the FAR varies across...

Integrating renewable energy into public space is becoming more common as a climate change solution. However, this approach is often guided by the environmental pillar of sustainability, with less focus on the economic and social pillars. The purpose of this paper is to examine this issue in the...

In the early 20th Century New York City grew rapidly in population and developed area. The subway system grew rapidly to accommodate this new growth, but also as a concerted effort to decentralize the city away from lower Manhattan. This paper explores the co-development of the subway system and...

It has been well documented that Black homeseekers face discrimination in the housing market in the form of racial steering and other institutional policies and practices that are critical in limiting housing access. Less is known about the mechanisms that operate on the other side of real...