Economics – Professor Graham Squires

New Book – The Economics of Property and Planning: Relevance and Importance

Given the imminent release of my new book ‘The Economics of Property and Planning’, here is some text on the book’s relevance and importance. Both

Economic Geography and Space

Ideas of place in the economics property and planning cannot escape the concepts of space and spatial considerations held with economic geography. Space as a

Transport and Infrastructure Economics in Property and Planning

It is quite widely thought that the role of infrastructure, particularly transport, is one useful way to understand the history of places. Particularly by looking

On Justice in Property and Planning – Normative Economics in Action

For economics in property, the legal real property consideration of justice resonates in economics and the economy. Early writers on justice such as Paine (1797)

Making clear the inflation question – what does this mean for planning ‘property’?

Stable prices are a macroeconomic consideration for nations and the places contained within their boundaries. For places, changes in inflation or changes in the prices

Brownfield Development: Some Historical Context, Barriers, and Issues

Brownfield sites can generate negative externality on real estate value, profit, and productivity. The use and development of brownfield sites are perceived to be risky

Financialization and Property

The contribution of financialization discourse to capital and inequality is particularly interesting to economics in property. Epstein’s (2005) ‘Financialization and The World Economy’ opens more

What is Urban? Fundamentals to growing and shrinking cities

There are several conversations going on that consider the growth and decline of cities given their changing function in a Covid world. Such as why

David Ricardo on Land Rents and Comparative Advantage

To deal with the economic issues of property, the work by David Ricardo (1772 – 1823) provides a dimension on how trade and the relative

Why does the value of money erode? Human Nature, Time, and Discounting

For major project feasibility and decision making, if cost and benefit items have been identified and valued, the net difference of costs and benefits need

Innovative infrastructure funding needed for affordable homes

The infrastructure levy introduced last year is a start but New Zealand is behind its contemporaries. Massey University economics professor Graham Squires More weight needs

The Malthusian Problem of Feeding a Population

Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) was one writer who took concerns of economic growth and population rise as a consequence of the industrial revolution and extrapolated via

Regressing into Regressions – A checklist

The definitions given here are designed to understand the more technical parts of statistical regression analysis. I often find this type of work can help

The Problem with an Economic Valuation of the Environment

The valuation of external costs and benefits will be difficult but necessary if the full cost or benefit to society and the environment is to

The Economics of Choice and Opportunity Cost in Development

Choice is an important element in economic thinking if there are scarce resources and infinite wants. Places that are booming will have to make choices,

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) – Paying for Public Goods with Private Money

[2000 Words; 10 minute Read] The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is defined as a form of procurement to encourage private investment in public sector projects.

The Economics of Water – Cost, Price and Value of a ‘Free’ Natural Resource

[1500 Words; 10 Minute Read] This article looks at ‘environmental resource’ issues in connection with water. We look at ‘externalities’ as the third-party costs and

How can you Value the Built and Natural Environment? Cost-Benefit Analysis

[2000 Words; 20 Minute Read] There are forms of market failure due to external costs and benefits that need to be calculated and internalized to

Housing Affordability Determinants

[1100 Words; 4 Minute Read] “Decent, affordable housing is fundamental to the health and well-being of people and to the smooth functioning of economies” (Woetzel

The Built and Natural Environment According to Economists – The Early Years.

[3100 Words; Reading Time 24 Mins] Ideas, concepts and theories are developed from intellectual thoughts that are of importance when studying urban and environmental economics.

Comparative House Price Index

Interesting house price index from The Economist post GFC

Solutions to the housing crisis – Housing Associations in the Private Rented Sector?

How do housing stakeholders align future private and public spending to identify investment opportunities and help meet the City’s broader economic and spatial

Urban water economics – putting a value, price, and cost on natural resources

Environmental resource issues involving water need to consider third-party external costs (and benefits) – water pollution being one example. Natural resource economics can be applied to this issue and set in