New homes, migration chains, and housing inequality

Research problem and specific questionsIn this project, we investigate the effects of building different types of new homes on housing inequality between population groups and areas.

What are the impacts of new housing on the distribution of homes of different tenure types, sizes, and living standards across residents with different socio-demographic characteristics?

How does new housing affect housing prices, access to services, crime rates, air quality, and the physical environment in the neighborhood, and migration patterns and residential segregation between neighborhoods in the city? Due to a lack of data, only limited dimensions of our research questions have been studied before.

Our data and methods allow us to provide a uniquely comprehensive picture of the effects of new housing on individuals, neighborhoods, and cities.

Data and methodWe use exceptionally rich microdata on the entire Swedish population and housing stock from 1960 and onwards, as well as novel geographically coded data on land use, pollution levels, gun violence, and access to services.

We use established methods based on following (i) moving chains created by new homes, (ii) homes as they deteriorate over time, and (iii) neighborhoods with new housing developments over time.

In addition, we provide novel analyses of how variation in the supply of new housing between cities affects residential patterns.

Societal relevance and utilisationAround the world, ongoing urbanization has been followed by high housing costs, congestion, increased crime, and segregation between neighborhoods. A debated policy question is whether new housing supply can mitigate these problems.

The new insights we gain can guide policymakers on how much, what type of, and where new homes should be built to promote good housing conditions for everyone and prevent spatial inequalities.

Plan for project realizationWe mainly seek funding of salaries for the participants who are economists at various stages in their careers, whereof three Ph.D. students. Together the team has extensive experience in housing and urban research.

The project is conducted within Urban Lab, a multidisciplinary environment for quantitative urban research at Uppsala University. Researchers in four disciplines are involved in the compilation of new data.

The project benefits from Urban Lab’s excellent platform for collaboration and communication with actors outside of academia.