Urban social structure, social capital and spatial proximity

E-print/Working paper (2015)

We develop a theoretical model where the existence and intensity of dyadic contacts depend on location. We show that agents tend to interact more with agents that are highly central in the network of ... [more ▼]

We develop a theoretical model where the existence and intensity of dyadic contacts depend on location. We show that agents tend to interact more with agents that are highly central in the network of social contacts and that are geographically closer. Using a unique geo-coded dataset of friendship networks in the United States, we find evidence consistent with this model. The main empirical challenge, which is the possible endogenous network formation, is tackled by employing a Bayesian methodology that allows to estimate simultaneously network formation and intensity of network contacts. [less ▲]

Urban Spaces and the complexity of Cities

Book published by Böhlau (2018)

Urban Spatial Structure, Employment

Presentation (2014, October)

We develop a model where workers both choose their residential location (geographical space) and social interactions (social space). In equilibrium, we show under which condition the majority group ... [more ▼]

We develop a model where workers both choose their residential location (geographical space) and social interactions (social space). In equilibrium, we show under which condition the majority group resides close to the job center while the minority group lives far away from it. Even though the two populations are ex ante totally identical, we find that the majority group experiences a lower unemployment rate than the minority group and tends to socially interact more with other workers of its own group. Within each group, we demonstrate that workers residing farther away from the job center tend to search less for a job and are less likely to be employed. This model is thus able to explain why ethnic minorities are segregated in the urban and social space and why this leads to adverse labor-market outcomes in the absence of any discrimination against the minority group. [less ▲]

Urban Spatial Structure, Employment and Social Ties

Presentation (2014, October)

We develop a model where workers both choose their residential location (geographical space) and social interactions (social space). In equilibrium, we show under which condition the majority group ... [more ▼]

We develop a model where workers both choose their residential location (geographical space) and social interactions (social space). In equilibrium, we show under which condition the majority group resides close to the job center while the minority group lives far away from it. Even though the two populations are ex ante totally identical, we find that the majority group experiences a lower unemployment rate than the minority group and tends to socially interact more with other workers of its own group. Within each group, we demonstrate that workers residing farther away from the job center tend to search less for a job and are less likely to be employed. This model is thus able to explain why ethnic minorities are segregated in the urban and social space and why this leads to adverse labor-market outcomes in the absence of any discrimination against the minority group. [less ▲]

Urban spatial structure, employment and social ties

in Journal of Urban Economics (2018), 104(C), 77-93

Consider a model where workers from the majority and the minority group choose both their residential location (geographical space) and the intensity of their social interactions (social space). We ... [more ▼]

Consider a model where workers from the majority and the minority group choose both their residential location (geographical space) and the intensity of their social interactions (social space). We demonstrate under which condition one group resides close to the job center while the other lives far away from it. Even though the two groups have the same characteristics and there is no discrimination in the housing or labor market, we show that the majority group can have a lower unemployment rate whenever it resides close to or far away from the workplace. This is because this group generates a larger and better-quality social network. [less ▲]

Urban Structures with Forward and Backward Linkages

E-print/Working paper (2017)

We study urban structures driven by demand and vertical linkages in the presence of increasing returns to scale. Individuals consume local urban varieties and firms use these varieties to produce a ... [more ▼]

We study urban structures driven by demand and vertical linkages in the presence of increasing returns to scale. Individuals consume local urban varieties and firms use these varieties to produce a national good. We prove the existence of a spatial equilibrium and obtain an invariance result according to which more intense demand or vertical linkages have the same effect on the urban structure as lower commuting costs. Various urban configurations can emerge exhibiting a monocentric, an integrated, a duocentric, or a partially integrated city structure. We discuss the role of commuting and transport costs, intensities of demand and vertical linkages, and urbanization in affecting these patterns. We show that multiple equilibria may arise in equilibrium involving the monocentric city and up to a couple of duocentric and partially integrated structures. [less ▲]

“Urban-Rural” Dynamics and Indigenous Urbanization: The Case of Inuit Language Use in Ottawa

in Journal of Language, Identity and Education (2014)

The establishment of cities in Canada has played a pivotal role in the displacement, dispossession, and marginalization of Indigenous peoples. Yet, more than half of the Indigenous population now resides ... [more ▼]

The establishment of cities in Canada has played a pivotal role in the displacement, dispossession, and marginalization of Indigenous peoples. Yet, more than half of the Indigenous population now resides in cities, and urbanization continues to increase. This paper addresses a specific aspect of Inuit mobility—namely, migration and the dynamic use of Inuit language and knowledge in the city of Ottawa. Drawing on community-based participatory research in collaboration with an Ottawa Inuit literacy centre, we investigate a range of Inuit-led educational practices that emerged from collaborative work with a group of Inuit women. Suggested activities drew on semiotic resources—including objects and language—that involved retracing the migrational trajectories of Inuit between cities and between nonurban communities, particularly those in their Arctic “homelands.” Such practices appear to cut across the “urban-rural divide,” particularly since cities were rarely mentioned, a fact that seems to signal the irrelevance of this dichotomy for urban Inuit. In this context, the exploration of artifactual literacies—more specifically, speaker interactions that unfold around culturally meaningful objects—led to the following conclusions: (1) multilingual oracy is key to complex transcontextual meaning making; (2) spatiotemporal reference is anchored both in individual experience and in connectivity with members of a newly constituted community; and (3) there is a sharing of cross-generational horizontal knowledge, which includes the abstention from any enforcement of a linguistic norm. [less ▲]

Un urbanisme sans ‘histoires’ : l’amélioration des conditions de vie dans l’habitat des réfugiés palestiniens à Amman

in Matthey, Laurent; Mager, Christophe; Gaillard, David (Eds.) et al Faire des histoires ? Du récit d’urbanisme à l’urbanisme fictionnel (2013)

Urbanität im ländlichen Raum am Beispiel von Wohnmigration im deutsch-luxemburgischen Grenzraum

Scientific Conference (2013, June)

Urbanization and growth

in Journal of Urban Economics (2004), 56(1), 80-96

In a simple urban economics framework, we aim at highlighting how the trade-off between optimal and equilibrium city size behaves when introducing dynamic human capital externalities beside the classical ... [more ▼]

In a simple urban economics framework, we aim at highlighting how the trade-off between optimal and equilibrium city size behaves when introducing dynamic human capital externalities beside the classical congestion externalities. Our purpose is to show that there are dynamic gains from oversized cities. To this end, we assume that productivity depends on human capital, which is solely accumulated in cities, such that urbanization is the engine of growth. In an empirical illustration, we highlight the link between urbanization and human capital accumulation, by focusing on cross-country panel data.<P>(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.) [less ▲]