The housing and economic development debate revisited: economic significance of housing in developing countries

Should housing improvement be part of economic development strategies? Must housing improvement wait until high-economic growth is attained? How much priority should be given to housing in view of the limited resources in less-developed countries? What are housing benefits in economic development vis-à-vis other economic investments? These questions have generated heated debates, both in the literature on development problems and in planning and practice in the 1950s and 1960s. This paper draws on the accumulated body of knowledge resulting from past experiences in research and policy to revisit the earlier debates, survey the main lines of argument and reassess the economic potential of housing. It then attempts to generate broad policy considerations. The main contention of this paper is that in light of past and present evidence, the housing sector needs to be given serious consideration in economic growth strategies.     

Ethnic differences in housing in post-Soviet Tartu,Estonia

Social and ethnic stratification has changed significantly in the former Soviet space since 1991. This research analyses the evolution of inherited ethnic differences in housing during two post-Soviet decades in Tartu, Estonia. The results suggest that ethnic inequalities in dwelling type as well as in housing size per person decreased between 1989 and 2008. More minorities now occupy single-family houses than at the end of the Soviet period. Access to modern facilities within dwelling units, however, is still higher among the minority population. We conclude that inherited ethnic differences in housing conditions were pronounced and, despite evidence of decreasing housing inequalities, subsequent changes have been too modest to overcome inherited patterns of housing segmentation from the Soviet period.     

Transnational migration,remittances and the financialization of housing in Colombia

Recently, various Latin American governments have sought to render migrants as development agents by channelling remittances to specific sectors such as housing and finance. The available literature has yet to articulate how these developments are reconfiguring the political economy of housing in the region. The paper draws on empirical data collected at both ends of the Colombia–UK migration network. It argues that the Colombian Government’s efforts to incorporate migrants into the polity through a renovated housing policy aim to institutionalize migrant households’ transnational practices and their links with global circuits of capital and finance. They are underpinned by the repositioning of housing away from consumption into an investment item and driver of economic growth and the financial sector as the main medium for households’ access to public and private housing, and other basic services. These developments have taken place in the context of a broader process of financialization of the global development agenda in the last three decades.     

Polarization reversal,migration related shifts in human resource profiles,and spatial growth policies: a Venezuelan study

"This article examines polarization reversal in terms of changing human resource profiles related to migration and to national policies affecting the spatial pattern of economic growth. It first demonstrates the relationship between these elements through a review that integrates three distinct themes in earlier research. Attention then turns to an empirical study of human resource variation among eight urban districts and the rest of Venezuela treated as a single unit. This comparison utilizes age, gender, educational attainment, and occupational status variables provided by individual records of Venezuela's 1971 Population Census. A concluding section relates empirical findings to policy alternatives."     

Heterogeneity,spatial population dynamics,and the migration rate

"In this paper, I examine some of the ways in which widely used migration indices are affected by the impacts of heterogeneity and selection, which act within a multistate perspective of spatial population dynamics that permits increments as well as decrements in the selectivity (and return) process. As a result, several commonly used indices of migration introduce a specification bias into the analysis--a bias that reflects the relative weighting accorded to component migration rates by the initial population compositions and spatial distributions." This paper was originally presented at the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America.     

Labour mobility and housing: the impact of housing tenure and housing affordability on labour migration in the Czech Republic

This article examines whether housing tenure and regional differences in housing affordability have an impact on labour mobility. This relationship is important for understanding the sources of structural unemployment and impediments to economic growth. Using two sample surveys from the Czech Republic, this research reveals that at the individual level housing tenure is the most powerful factor determining willingness to change residence for employment reasons. A time-series regression analysis reveals that the impact of housing affordability on observed interregional migration patterns is relatively weak and that this effect is concentrated among the highly educated seeking employment in the capital, Prague. These results demonstrate that housing tenure has a significant impact on labour migration plans in case of unemployment and that the dynamic impact of regional differences in housing affordability on labour mobility is concentrated within the most highly skilled segment of the labour force.     

New housing patterns and spatial fragmentation in Gulf cities

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the rapid growth of Gulf cities has led to a transformation of local settlement structures. The key objective of this paper is to deliver an overview of new housing patterns and how they impact spatial fragmentation. To identify the spatial distribution of new housing typologies and to explore the recent transformation of urban fabrics, GIS analyses were carried out and Space Syntax models were developed in the case of Qatar’s capital, Doha. This is coupled with an analysis of the travel routes of 130 residents which were assessed to investigate key aspects related to fragmentation. The outcomes include both new insights into the understanding of urban development tendencies in Gulf cities and the introduction of a methodological approach to establish responsive strategies in fast-growing and car-dependent cities.     

Amsterdam in the 21st century: Geography,housing, spatial development and politics

This city profile provides a multi-dimensional overview on the most recent social, economic, political and spatial changes in the city of Amsterdam. We map the social-geography of the city, discussing recent housing and spatial development policies as well as city-regional political dynamics. Today, the city of Amsterdam is more diverse than ever, both ethnically and socially. The social geography of Amsterdam shows a growing core–periphery divide that underlines important economic and cultural asymmetries. The tradition of public subsidies and regulated housing currently allows for state-led gentrification within inner city neighborhoods. Public support for homeownership is changing the balance between social, middle and high-end housing segments. Changes in the tradition of large-scale interventions and strong public planning are likewise occurring. In times of austerity, current projects focus on small-scale and piecemeal interventions particularly oriented to stimulate entrepreneurialism in selected urban areas and often relate to creative economies and sustainable development. Finally, underlying these trends is a new political landscape composed of upcoming liberal and progressive parties, which together challenge the political equilibriums in the city region     

Trade and spatial economic interdependence

Abstract. Regional scientists have had a long fascination with spatial economic interdependence, initially stimulated by the development of a suite of models in Isard (1960). In recent years there have been two major developments; first, a movement towards greater integration in model development not only with large-scale models, but also with careful attempts to make more components of the system endogenous. The second development has been the pursuit of greater integration than in earlier studies between theory and applied regional economic modelling, most notably in the area of trade and economic development. We explore some of the recent developments of this latter approach and provide an assessment of the current state-of-the art of some future opportunities.     

Trade and spatial economic interdependence

Regional scientists have had a long fascination with spatial economic interdependence, initially stimulated by the development of a suite of models in Isard (1960). In recent years there have been two major developments; first, a movement towards greater integration in model development not only with large-scale models, but also with careful attempts to make more components of the system endogenous. The second development has been the pursuit of greater integration than in earlier studies between theory and applied regional economic modelling, most notably in the area of trade and economic development. We explore some of the recent developments of this latter approach and provide an assessment of the current state-of-the art of some future opportunities.JEL Classification: F2, O1, R0, R1     

Structural economic change,labour market segmentation and interregional migration

In the 1970s there were marked changes in internal migration in Australia, with the major metropolitan areas experiencing,for the first time, significant losses in their migration interchanges with other areas. Simultaneously, country regions recorded substantial reductions in their formerly high rates of net outmigration. This paper argues that these migration changes were largely a response to the changing location and structure of labour demand: the high degree of labour market segmentation in Australia, and changes in the industrial structure of employment, together provide an explanation for contrasts in the migration responses of different demographic groups.     

经济转型过程中的城镇住房制度改革

在对我国城镇住房制度改革的缘起、进程、目标和特点进行研究分析的基础上,介绍了城镇住房制度的现状,针对新的城镇住房制度的误区,提出了解决建议,以使城镇住房制度的改革向更好的方向发展。