Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/173006 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 6730
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
Cities around the world are experiencing unprecedented vertical growth. Yet, the economics of skyscrapers remain empirically understudied. This paper analyzes the determinants of the urban height profile by combining a micro-geographic data set on tall buildings with a unique panel of land prices covering 140 years. We provide novel estimates of the land price elasticity of height, the height elasticity of construction cost, and the elasticity of substitution between land and capital for tall buildings. In line with improvements in construction technology, the land price elasticity of height increased substantially over time, rationalizing a trend to ever taller buildings. The land price elasticity of height is larger for commercial than for residential buildings, suggesting that the typical segregation of land uses within cities is not exclusively shaped by the demand side, but also by the supply side.
Subjects: 
Chicago
construction cost
density
height
land value
skyscraper
JEL: 
R20
R30
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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