Urban Economics

Urban economics studies the forces that lead to the creation of cities and regional concentration of people and jobs, as well as the distribution of economic activity within cities. Eliminating distance between people makes it easier to transport goods, match workers with employers, and circulate ideas. However, urbanization also presents a number of problems, such as congestion, high housing costs, and residential segregation. Understanding how these outcomes are driven by our choices across space is key for policymaking in a rapidly urbanizing world.

The work of the urban economics group covers topics such as housing markets and housing policy, transportation, migration, segregation and urban politics. We study these topics using both reduced form and structural methods leveraging high-quality microdata.

For Master's students interested in these topics, here is a list of recommended courses.

We organize a bi-weekly Trade, Regional and Urban Economics seminar. For more information, please contact Prottoy Akbar (prottoy.akbar@aalto.fi).

We also organize PhD workshops where PhD students can present their preliminary research ideas as well as ongoing research projects. Please contact Pablo Warnes (pablo.warnes@aalto.fi) for more information.