Valuing School Quality, Better Transport, and Lower Crime: Evidence from House Prices

Posted: 2 Jul 2008

See all articles by Stephen Gibbons

Stephen Gibbons

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Geography and Environment

Stephen J. Machin

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP); London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Economics

Date Written: spring 2008

Abstract

Housing prices within urban areas exhibit highly localized variation that cannot be explained solely by differences in the physical attributes of dwellings. We consider the role of local amenities and disamenities in generating price variation within urban areas, focusing on three highly policy-relevant urban issues-transport accessibility, school quality, and crime. Our survey of the recent empirical literature highlights what is known and what is not known on these issues, and considers the relevance and reliability of this evidence for policy design and evaluation. Although there are serious empirical challenges, we argue that research on housing values based on careful research designs can offer credible estimates of the social value of place-specific attributes and amenities.

Keywords: house prices, transport, school quality, crime

JEL Classification: R21, H4

Suggested Citation

Gibbons, Stephen and Machin, Stephen J., Valuing School Quality, Better Transport, and Lower Crime: Evidence from House Prices (spring 2008). Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 24, Issue 1, pp. 99-119, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1154422 or http://dx.doi.org/grn008

Stephen Gibbons

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Geography and Environment ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
[44] (0)20 7955 6245 (Phone)
[44] (0)20 7955 7773 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.lse.ac.uk/people/s.gibbons@lse.ac.uk/

Stephen J. Machin

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) ( email )

Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Economics ( email )

Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

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