We analyze a neoclassical general-equilibrium model to explain cross-metro variation in population, density, and land supply based on three amenity types: quality-of-life, productivity in tradables, and productivity in non-tradables. We develop a new method to estimate elasticities of housing...

In depopulating cities, vacant houses and lots are common throughout the urban area, creating low-density urban areas that can lead to inefficiencies in public services and financial deterioration for municipalities. However, despite some studies demonstrating the relationship between population...

Crowdedness varies widely among U.S. cities. A simple, static general equilibrium model suggests that plausible differences in metro areas' consumption amenities can account for much of the observed variation. Under a baseline calibration, differences in amenities valued at 30 percent of average...

Population density varies widely across U.S. cities. A simple, static general equilibrium model suggests that moderate-sized differences in cities' total factor productivity can account for such variation. Nevertheless, the productivity required to sustain above-average population densities...