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A study was conducted to show that the traditional approach to land release used by planners, which is based on trend household projections, can lead to worsening affordability over time. An alternative economic model more suitable to the post-Barker era is developed. This model is used to analyze different policy issues

The ways to control population flows from cities and to promote integrated communities in the context of Britain are examined. The effects of governmental policies like planning, area-based and fiscal incentives are evaluated. The results of the Schelling (1971) model and the discrete choice model conclude the possible utilization of fiscal policy to influence population distribution.

In this second of two related papers in this issue, the causes of declining levels of housing transactions in Britain during the 1990s are explored. The lower transaction levels resulted [...]

This paper constitutes the first of two interrelated studies and is concerned with the relationship between house prices and transactions. Using aggregate time-series data, we find a strong relationship in [...]

A study was conducted to analyze world economic models. The study evaluated the Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF) model. The OEF model was then used as a basis for examining the process of integration among European countries since the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) was established. The study also focused on questions of difference between the UK and the rest of Europe which may effect adjustment to ERM.

This introduction to the virtual special issue surveys the development of spatial housing economics from its roots in neoclassical theory, through more recent developments in social interactions modelling, and touching on the role of institutions, path dependence and economic history. The survey also points to some of the more promising future directions for the subject that are beginning to appear in the literature. The survey covers elements of hedonic models, spatial econometrics, neighbourhood models, housing market areas, housing supply, models of segregation, migration, housing tenure, subnational house price modelling including the so-called ripple effect, and agent-based models. Possible future directions are set in the context of a selection of recent papers that have appeared in Urban Studies. Nevertheless, there are still important gaps in the literature that merit further attention, arising at least partly from emerging policy problems. These include more research on housing and biodiversity, the relationship between housing and civil unrest, the effects of changing age distributions – notably housing for the elderly – and the impact of different international institutional structures. Methodologically, developments in Big Data provide an exciting framework for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers how local areas become stuck in poverty traps and develops models exhibiting thresholds, where deprivation has to fall to a certain level before taking off. Using aggregate data for local authorities, the paper models cross-section movements of house prices to identify the threshold level of poverty. The paper argues that the resource requirements for bringing the most deprived areas to the take-off point are likely to be high. But for areas that are already close to the threshold, regeneration can be successful. Therefore, identifying the thresholds is important. Testing for thresholds is not straightforward, but the paper provides empirical evidence. The implications for policies concerned with social mixing are not encouraging. However, mixing may be more successful in areas that lie close to the threshold. For example, few high-income households want to live in the most deprived areas if the expected capital gains are low. But capital gains are maximised close to the take-off points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mid 1990s, Meen set out a series of propositions concerning the relationship between housing and the macro economy during the 1980s and early 1990s. This paper provides 10 further propositions for the early years of this century, taking into account recent research and policy concerns. The first five propositions concern housing market risk, whereas the remaining issues deal with the sustainability of homeownership. The empirical evidence presented finds that there is limited evidence for bubbles over the past 10 years and models of house prices are stable. Furthermore, housing possessions are unlikely to fall to the levels observed in the early 1980s. It is also suggested that the private rental market may not expand at the same rate as in the past 10 years, but there are risks to homeowners down the income distribution. Finally, the main beneficiaries of new affordability targets may be existing rather than new households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, Geoff Meen discusses patterns of economic segregation in England. Despite the emphasis that the government places on reducing segregation, patterns have, in fact, remained remarkably constant over, at least, the last twenty years. Dynamic changes in housing markets and migration over time help to explain these patterns, and evidence is presented on the extent to which house prices in certain local authorities have been under- or over-valued. The analysis also shows that, at the local level, housing markets exhibit non-linear behaviour, which hinders the effectiveness of housing policy in the most deprived areas and adds to economic segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]