Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Panel: Technology and Cities: Implications for Economic Activity and Quality of Life

(Housing, Community Development, and Urban Policy)

Cities are characterized by the physical and material nature of their economic and social activities.  That is, the transactions that take place very much rely on face-to-face interactions between individuals and organizations.  What happens to these activities when technology intervenes and facilitates the virtual and immediate transfer of information?  This panel explores this question for a range of outcomes and in the context of various technology platforms.  Two papers look at how Craigslist, an online portal for advertising goods and services, has impacted the selling and buying of two very different goods: housing and prostitution.  A third paper explores how app-based for-hire vehicles (i.e. Uber) have affected ride-sharing behavior and what that means for other modes of transportation, like taxis and subways, in New York City.  Finally, the fourth paper considers retail activity across the largest U.S. cities and tests if, and how, it has been affected by the (uneven) proliferation of broadband services.  Together, the papers on the panel contribute to an emerging scholarship on how technology-based products can transform economic and social activity in neighborhoods and cities more generally.  This research also raises questions about distributional implications and provides insight on who bears the burden and reaps the benefits of these rapidly advancing technological innovations.  These are critical issues for cities and policymakers to understand as they consider regulations and other interventions to manage the benefits and costs of technology.