Research

 In this paper, I construct a novel spatial dataset encompassing the entire streetcar network of Chicago for three decadal years (1900, 1910, and 1920). The findings reveal a significant role played by streetcars in city expansion and suburbanization, contributing to population growth away from the central business district (CBD), aligning with the predictions of the monocentric city model. Additionally, I observe a declining population density gradient as the distance from the CBD increases, further confirming the urban model's predictions. Furthermore, by utilizing extinct horsecar lines as instruments, I find that poorer individuals cluster near the CBD where the streetcar network is dense, while those farther from the CBD but near streetcar lines tend to be wealthier. Wealthier neighborhoods are characterized by high literacy rates, lower black and immigrant populations, and a high percentage of home ownership.

In this paper we use data from Boston in 1899 to estimate a hedonic model of housing prices. We build maps of the entire network of streetcars and estimate the effect of proximity to this network on housing prices. Our results identify a marked negative land rent gradient as houses locate further away from the city center. Houses near streetcars pay significantly higher rents and the negative housing price gradient rotates clockwise, resulting in houses with higher rental prices at distances within three miles from the CBD. We also find that houses with more rooms and with heating or that pay rents on a weekly basis have higher rental prices.

This paper analyzes the growth patterns of European artists during the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, with a primary focus on investigating the significance of network effects within urban artist communities, notably during the Renaissance Movement. I employ artists' birthplaces as a proxy to gauge artistic activity within a given city. Findings reveal a positive correlation between past artistic activity and contemporary creative output within cities, underscoring the critical roles played by geographic proximity, collaborative interactions, and network effects. Furthermore, this study identifies additional factors influencing artistic activity, including socioeconomic and political dynamics.