Lectures on Urban Economics

by Jan K. Brueckner

A rigorous but nontechnical treatment of major topics in urban economics. Lectures on Urban Economic s offers a rigorous but nontechnical treatment of major topics in urban economics. To make the book accessible to a broad range of readers, the analysis is diagrammatic rather than mathematical. Although nontechnical, the book relies on rigorous economic reasoning. In contrast to the cursory theoretical development often found in other textbooks, Lectures on Urban Economics offers thorough and exhaustive treatments of models relevant to each topic, with the goal of revealing the logic of economic reasoning while also teaching urban economics. Topics covered include reasons for the existence of cities, urban spatial structure, urban sprawl and land-use controls, freeway congestion, housing demand and tenure choice, housing policies, local public goods and services, pollution, crime, and quality of life. Footnotes throughout the book point to relevant exercises, which appear at the back of the book. These 22 extended exercises (containing 125 individual parts) develop numerical examples based on the models analyzed in the chapters. Lectures on Urban Economics is suitable for undergraduate use, as background reading for graduate students, or as a professional reference for economists and scholars interested in the urban economics perspective.

Genres: Economics, Cities, Nonfiction, Urbanism

296 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2011

Reviews

[John Norell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to the field of urban economics. chapter two outlining the standard urban model (which most other chapters analyse modifications to), was my favourite. To get a sense of what the book teaches, I'd recommend reading the short summaries at the end of each chapter.

[Kyle Schroeckenthaler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty standard public economics text. Most of the examples are clear and presented graphically. It's a good intro and survey. You'll definitely want to branch out to specific topics to really think about issues.

I guess I've become kind of cynical about oversimplifications in economics that may produce a model that might not have unreasonable results, but is such an abstraction of reality that you hope no one is actually using them to make policy.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

To round the year out, I'd like to highlight this slim textbook I read for my course in Urban Economics. Throughout my time studying economics, Urban Econ was undoubtedly my favorite class. Living in Chicago I've longed to learn more about how economists understand the ins-and-outs of the urban environment. Naturally, the theoretical approach to urban econ holds so many prerequisite assumptions I often joked with my classmates, "Assume the city doesn't exist..."

Even so, the book is quite good. The exercises at the end of each chapter challenge the reader to really understand the material. Early on the book proposes the monocentric city model and then builds on from there. It's actually a clever little model and I think useful for understanding certain aspects of the city, but like most models suffers from its divorce from reality. A city is so vastly complex that there is little resemblance to the monocentric city model. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to understand it though, and this book is an excellent place to begin.

Brueckner's text might go better as a companion piece to a larger textbook, 'Urban Economics' by Arthur O'Sullivan, which is a much better overview of the basics of urban economics. If you can only choose one, I'd say go with O'Sullivan.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very enjoyable to read. Alot of interesting topics

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite text books and my favorite urban economics text book. Clearly written and accessible for the average undergraduate.

[Jeremy]

I wonder if this is one of those books where everyone wants to be caught having on them but never actually reads.