01516276

Component

This paper develops a spatial general equilibrium model to explore the endogenous relations between urban sprawl, job decentralization, and traffic congestion, and then compares the efficiency and welfare impacts of anti-congestion policies. Differing from many existing non-moncentric models, the model in this paper fully endogenizes both production and congestion externalities, relaxes the assumption of fixed city/metropolitan boundary, and relies on values of travel and work time. Simulation results suggest that congestion spurs firms to decentralize and agglomerate away from the urban center, with households living more centrally. A congestion-toll policy brings slightly more compact urban form and job decentralization, and serves as an effective strategy for correcting congestion externalities, by maximally improving social welfare. Urban growth boundary (UGB) strategies tested here alleviate congestion externalities and lower travel times, vehicle-miles traveled, and travel costs; but the UGBs carry certain loss of social welfare owning to land rent escalation and UGBs’ limitations on job decentralization.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE20 Transportation Economics.

01503729

14-1785

English

21p

2014

Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Congestion pricing; Decentralization; Externalities; Jobs; Simulation; Traffic congestion; Travel costs; Travel time; Urban growth; Urban sprawl; Vehicle miles of travel

Economics; Highways; I10: Economics and Administration

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2014 Paper #14-1785

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 27 2014 2:38PM