published journal article

Local labor markets, job matching, and urban location*

Int Economic Rev

Publication Date

February 1, 2002

Author(s)

Jan Brueckner, Jacques-Francois Thisse, Yves Zenou

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Abstract

We present a new way of modeling local labor markets by linking the space of workers’ skills and the physical space of cities. The key lesson of our analysis is that firms exploit workers in these two spaces by setting wages that are below the competitive level. The degree of monopsony power depends on the elasticity of the firm’s labor pool, which is inversely related to the costs workers incur in commuting and acquiring skills. Our analysis thus shows how socioeconomic ghettos emerge as workers with poor skill matches are also those who incur the highest commuting costs.

Suggested Citation

Jan K. Brueckner, Jacques-Francois Thisse and Yves Zenou (2002) “Local labor markets, job matching, and urban location*”, Int Economic Rev, 43(1), pp. 155–171. Available at: 10.1111/1468-2354.t01-1-00007.

published journal article

Employment deconcentration and spatial dispersion in metropolitan areas: Consequences for commuting patterns

Cities

Publication Date

December 1, 2022

Author(s)

John R. Hipp, Sugie Lee, Jae Hong Kim, Benjamin Forthun

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Abstract

There is interest in understanding which characteristics of metropolitan areas impact the length of time or distance residents spend commuting. We utilize two measures recently introduced to the urban literature capturing distinct dimensions of employment decentralization –the level of employment deconcentration and employment spatial dispersion in metropolitan areas – to assess how they are related to commuting patterns across metropolitan areas. These two measures of urban/metropolitan spatial structure avoid challenges in identifying “job centers” and allow for a more systematic investigation of how employment decentralization affects commuting patterns. Furthermore, we detect key differences for the implications of these measures for commuting across 329 US metropolitan regions based on their population size. We find that greater employment deconcentration in very small MSAs is associated with longer commute times and distances, whereas greater employment deconcentration in large or very large MSAs is associated with shorter commutes. And whereas spatial dispersion is not related to commute times in very small MSAs, greater spatial dispersion is associated with longer commutes in very large MSAs. This study also shows that the spatial pattern of employment in regions, captured by these new measures, is associated with the proportion of very short and very long duration commutes.

Suggested Citation

John R. Hipp, Sugie Lee, Jae Hong Kim and Benjamin Forthun (2022) “Employment deconcentration and spatial dispersion in metropolitan areas: Consequences for commuting patterns”, Cities, 131, p. 103947. Available at: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103947.

published journal article

Atomistic congestion tolls at concentrated airports? Seeking a unified view in the internalization debate

Journal of Urban Economics

Publication Date

September 1, 2008

Author(s)

Jan Brueckner, Kurt van-Dender

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Suggested Citation

Jan K. Brueckner and Kurt Van Dender (2008) “Atomistic congestion tolls at concentrated airports? Seeking a unified view in the internalization debate”, Journal of Urban Economics, 64(2), pp. 288–295. Available at: 10.1016/j.jue.2008.02.002.

published journal article

A Program in Social and Urban Systems Engineering

Engineering Education

Publication Date

January 1, 1974

Author(s)

Will Recker, G. C. Lee, R. E. Paaswell

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Suggested Citation

W. W. Recker, G. C. Lee and R. E. Paaswell (1974) “A Program in Social and Urban Systems Engineering”, Engineering Education, 64(4), pp. 275–278. Available at: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ091711.

working paper

Autos, Transit and the Sprawl of Los Angeles: The 1920s

Publication Date

March 1, 1984

Author(s)

Martin Wachs

Working Paper

UCI-ITS-WP-84-2

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Abstract

The dispersed, low-density land-use pattern that has come to be associated with Los Angeles has roots in two periods of economic growth during which critical choices were made. While many observers associate the sprawl of Los Angeles with the freeway building program following World War II, the pattern was quite well established prior to 1930. It can be traced to an early period of dispersed growth, from 1880 to 1910, when inter-urban street railways allowed residential decentralization. The pattern was reinforced during the boom of the nineteen twenties, when rapid growth was accompanied by dramatic shifts in travel patterns and industrial location, partly in response to the automobile. This paper examines changes during these periods in the context of a continuing preference for low density living, and reviews the planning policies and political decisions of the twenties, when a comprehensive highway program was adopted, but a regional rapid transit plan failed to gain acceptance.

Suggested Citation

Martin Wachs (1984) Autos, Transit and the Sprawl of Los Angeles: The 1920s. Working Paper UCI-ITS-WP-84-2. Institute of Transportation Studies, Irvine. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wq9b14d.

published journal article

California households' willingness to pay for `green' electronics

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

Publication Date

January 1, 2007

Author(s)

Jean-Daniel Saphores, Hilary Nixon, Oladele Ogunseitan, Andrew A. Shapiro

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Abstract

Concerns about rapid increases in the volume of electronic waste (e-waste) and its potential toxicity have sharpened policy makers’ interest for extended producer responsibility to encourage manufacturers of consumer electronic devices (CEDs) to `design for the environment’. This paper examines consumer willingness to pay for `green’ electronics based on a 2004 mail survey of California households. Using ordered logit models, it was found that significant predictors of willingness to pay for `greener’ computers and cell phones include age, income, education, beliefs about the role of government for improving environmental quality, as well as environmental attitudes and behaviors, but neither gender nor political affiliation. Although most respondents are willing to pay only a 1% premium for `greener’ CEDs, innovation and EU directives may soon make them competitive with conventional CEDs.

Suggested Citation

Jean-Daniel M. Saphores, Hilary Nixon, Oladele A. Ogunseitan and Andrew A. Shapiro (2007) “California households' willingness to pay for `green' electronics”, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 50(1), pp. 113–133. Available at: 10.1080/09640560601048549.

policy brief

California Travel Post-Pandemic Has Changed: Are Our Policies Keeping Up?

Publication Date

May 1, 2026

Author(s)

Sabah Hossain Iqra, Jean-Daniel Saphores

View policy brief

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed how Californians travel, work, and shop. While overall travel levels have largely recovered, the rise of remote work, online shopping, and more flexible schedules have reshaped when, why, and how people travel. Yet many transportation policies and planning tools still rely on outdated assumptions about travel behavior, creating a growing mismatch between policy and reality, with implications for infrastructure planning, congestion, air pollutant emissions, and more. To better understand these changes, the research team analyzed travel data from 2019 and 2023 across four primary travel modes–driving, public transit, walking, and bicycling. To examine changes in driving and transit, the research team used data from sites around the state for driving and transit use, in addition to data from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region to analyze walking and biking.

Suggested Citation

Sabah Hossain Iqra and Jean-Daniel Saphores (2026) California Travel Post-Pandemic Has Changed: Are Our Policies Keeping Up?. Policy Brief. UC ITS. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7922/g2ws8rmh.

published journal article

Assessing the role of geographic context in transportation mode detection from GPS data

Journal of transport geography

Publication Date

January 1, 2022

Author(s)

Avipsa Roy, Daniel Fuller, Trisalyn Nelson, Peter Kedron

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Suggested Citation

Avipsa Roy, Daniel Fuller, Trisalyn Nelson and Peter Kedron (2022) “Assessing the role of geographic context in transportation mode detection from GPS data”, Journal of transport geography, 100, p. 103330. Available at: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103330.

published journal article

Just Look at the Map: Bounding Environmental Review of Housing Development in California

Environmental Law

Publication Date

January 1, 2024

Author(s)

Eric Biber, Christopher Elmendorf, Nicholas Marantz, Moira O'Neill

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Suggested Citation

Eric Biber, Christopher Elmendorf, Nicholas Marantz and Moira O'Neill (2024) “Just Look at the Map: Bounding Environmental Review of Housing Development in California”, Environmental Law, 54, p. 221. Available at: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/envlnw54&id=237&div=&collection=.

conference paper

An approximate least-square Monte-Carlo algorithm for solving the multi-period continuous network design problem

Proceedings of the 97th annual meeting of the transportation research board

Publication Date

January 1, 2018

Author(s)

Ke Wang, Jean-Daniel Saphores

Abstract

This paper proposes a new algorithm to solve the Multi-period Continuous Network Design Problem (MPCNDP) in a real options framework. The MPCNDP aims to find the long-term optimal highway expansion plan for a road network with stochastic demand. Analytical methods, finite difference methods or Least Square Monte Carlo simulation (LSMC) are not applicable for solving the MPCNDP because of the high dimension of the stochastic demand variables and the complexity of the intrinsic complexity of the network design problem. The authors propose an algorithm, which they call â??Approximate Least Square Monte Carlo simulationâ?? (ALSMC). This algorithm applies least square regression to estimate the value of the termination payoff function without knowing the optimal capacity improvement plan. During each iteration, only a multi-period CNDP with deterministic demand needs to be solved, which dramatically reduces the computing time of each termination payoff function. The authors first test the ALSMC method on a simple example for which the exact solution is known, and show that it converges quickly to the solution. They then test the ALSMC method on a small network with 6 centroids and 16 links, which has been used as a benchmark in dozens of papers. The authors find that the ALSMC method gives quick and reasonably accurate estimates of the termination payoff function.

Suggested Citation

Ke Wang and Jean-Daniel M. Saphores (2018) “An approximate least-square Monte-Carlo algorithm for solving the multi-period continuous network design problem”, in Proceedings of the 97th annual meeting of the transportation research board, p. 18p.