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Sometimes Close Is Good Enough: The Value Of Nearby Environmental Amenities

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  • Lucie Schmidt
  • Paul N. Courant
Abstract
ABSTRACT An extensive empirical literature exists, showing that variations in region‐specific amenities can account for persistent differences in real wages across regions. However, this literature has considered only amenities in the same location as the household. This paper argues that environmental amenities at some distance from but accessible to urban areas may lead to negative compensating wage differentials. We use a general equilibrium framework and data from the 1995 Current Population Survey to calculate implicit amenity prices based on measures of distance to environmental amenities. Our results suggest that amenities outside the metropolitan area do generate compensating wage differentials, as workers are willing to accept lower wages to live in accessible proximity to “nice” places. This implies that these places provide a positive externality to those communities that find them accessible. The estimated effects are quantitatively important, suggesting that these externalities should be taken into account in policy making.

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  • Lucie Schmidt & Paul N. Courant, 2006. "Sometimes Close Is Good Enough: The Value Of Nearby Environmental Amenities," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(5), pages 931-951, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jregsc:v:46:y:2006:i:5:p:931-951
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9787.2006.00491.x
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    2. Braakmann, Nils, 2013. "Crime, health and wellbeing – Longitudinal evidence from Mexico," MPRA Paper 44885, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    4. Heather M. Stephens & Mark D. Partridge, 2015. "Lake Amenities, Environmental Degradation, and Great Lakes Regional Growth," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 38(1), pages 61-91, January.
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    11. Germán M. Izón & Michael S. Hand & Daniel W. Mccollum & Jennifer A. Thacher & Robert P. Berrens, 2016. "Proximity to Natural Amenities: A Seemingly Unrelated Hedonic Regression Model with Spatial Durbin and Spatial Error Processes," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(4), pages 461-480, December.
    12. Germán M. Izón & Michael S. Hand & Matias Fontenla & Robert P. Berrens, 2010. "The Economic Value Of Protecting Inventoried Roadless Areas: A Spatial Hedonic Price Study In New Mexico," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 28(4), pages 537-553, October.
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    14. Michael S. Hand & Jennifer A. Thacher & Daniel W. McCollum & Robert P. Berrens, 2008. "Intra-Regional Amenities, Wages, and Home Prices: The Role of Forests in the Southwest," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 84(4), pages 635-651.
    15. David A. McGranahan & Timothy R. Wojan & Dayton M. Lambert, 2011. "The rural growth trifecta: outdoor amenities, creative class and entrepreneurial context -super-§," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(3), pages 529-557, May.
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    18. Abildtrup, Jens & Garcia, Serge & Olsen, Søren Bøye & Stenger, Anne, 2013. "Spatial preference heterogeneity in forest recreation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 67-77.
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    21. Kathryn R. Dotzel, 2017. "Do natural amenities influence undergraduate student migration decisions?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 59(3), pages 677-705, November.
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    24. Braakmann, Nils, 2009. "Is there a compensating wage differential for high crime levels? First evidence from Europe," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 218-231, November.
    25. Yong Chen & David J. Lewis & Bruce Weber, 2016. "Conservation Land Amenities And Regional Economies: A Postmatching Difference-In-Differences Analysis Of The Northwest Forest Plan," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 373-394, June.

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