The role of institutional factors in modeling the location of urban infill housing development in declining U.S. cities: A study of Cleveland, Ohio

The role of institutional factors in modeling the location of urban infill housing development in declining U.S. cities: A study of Cleveland, Ohio

urban modeling, urban infill housing development, institutional factors, Cleveland

The main purpose of this study is to contribute to the field of urban modeling by identifying factors associated with the location of infill housing development in declining American cities. The focus of this research is on the institutional factors that have not been considered in traditional urban land use models. The two main research questions were: (1) are the institutional factors significantly associated with the location of urban infill housing development in declining American cities? and (2) are the institutional factors more important than non-institutional factors, i.e., site and neighborhood characteristics, in determining the location of infill housing development? The study analyzed housing development patterns in City of Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1990s. Most of the institutional factors were found to be significantly related to infill housing development. The land bank and Neighborhood Reinvestment Agreement (NRA) programs were found to be particularly important in guiding the process of the infill housing development. Several non-institutional factors such as the quantity of vacant residential land were also found to be significantly related to infill housing development. Other non-institutional factors that have been traditionally used in urban models such as accessibility and proximity to amenities were found to not be significantly related to the location of infill housing development. Interestingly, the minority-concentrated, poverty-stricken, crime-ridden, and population-losing neighborhoods which urban modelers have traditionally assumed would have little new housing experienced the most housing development activities. These rather surprising results reflect the fact that these neighborhoods were the focus of governments’ and other supporting institutions’ efforts to revitalize depressed urban neighborhoods. The study has several important implications for urban modelers and urban planners. It first suggests that urban models for the residential development in struggling older cities should consider the important role played by a city’s institutional support systems. Second, it suggests that these models should pay particular attention to land availability factors such as land bank programs and the amount of residential vacant land. Third, it suggests that urban modelers interested in urban infill residential development should not be as concerned with accessibility to employment or shopping centers as they are with other locational factors. Lastly, it indicates that governmental and institutional interventions can effectively guide the location of infill housing development in a weak inter-urban housing market.

Kim, Jung-Wook

University of Akron

2006

Klosterman, Richard E. Advisor

en

Dissertation

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1153365929

http://lallier.msh-vdl.fr/theses/items/show/1087

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