Article Abstract:
Suburbanization and regentrification can be conditioned by means of transportation, and serve as a source of comparative advantage for workers. In the 1880s, Philadelphia workers with high wages and streetcars had the comparative advantage in terms of working in distant locations over low-wage earners who could not afford them. However, this advantage was eliminated when it became economical for low-wage workers to take the streetcar too, thus facilitating the relocation of high-income workers to the city centers. Although the introduction of the automobile in the 1910s led to a similar cycle, this event should not be taken as conclusive evidence that access to transportation is the only reason for suburbanization and regentrification.
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Article Abstract:
This study examines the theory that energy availability has an impact on housing costs, so that a significant energy shortage, such as the loss of oil exports from Iran in 1979, should have implications for the prices of homes in an urban area, particularly if overall expectations have been modified. The study focuses on the cost of homes in six Philadelphia districts during the period of the 1979 shortages. Results are by no means conclusive but there is some evidence that in three of the sections a definite shift occurred in prices, with significant cost increase if homes were 'close-in'.
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Article Abstract:
When house prices fall because of an economic downturn, it becomes more difficult for current home owners to sell their house and buy another. Residential mobility is limited because equity in their home is not sufficient to make a down payment on another house.
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