Hazel A. Morrow-Jones

The Effects of Farmland, Farmland Preservation, and Other Neighborhood Amenities on Housing Values and Residential Growth

Using data from a conjoint instrument, we estimate compensating variation for the presence of neighboring land that is dedicated to agricultural use (versus developed uses), the preservation of surrounding farmland as permanent cropland, and key neighborhood characteristics such as neighborhood parks, commute times, school quality, and safety. We find that rural-urban fringe areas that are located within commuting distance of urban areas and that have an abundance of farmland could attract residential development. Typical preservation efforts, featuring small parcels of preserved farmland, would induce further residential growth only for areas with short commutes and small amounts of remaining farmland. (JEL R14, Q15)

Consumer Preference for Neotraditional Neighborhood Characteristics

Abstract Much research on residential mobility relies on examining peoples choices within the context of what is available in a local housing market. However, it is difficult to determine the demand for alternative housing or neighborhood types that may not be available or are available only in limited quantities. Hence, the market may not accurately reveal consumer preferences for such alternatives. We estimate a discrete choice model of neighborhood choice by using data from a choice‐based conjoint analysis survey that allows us to vary characteristics experimentally. The model is used to determine consumer preferences for neotraditional neighborhood design features, including neighborhood layout, housing density, surrounding open space, and commuting time, while holding other characteristics, including school quality and neighborhood safety, constant. The results indicate that the neotraditional design with higher density is less preferred on average, but that niche marketing, additional open space, or other amenities can overcome its negative effects.

Mobility due to natural disaster: theoretical considerations and preliminary analyses.

Relatively little of the work on natural disasters has focused on people who do not return to their pre-disaster homes. This study uses Annual Housing Survey data from 1974 through 1981 to examine moving households who attribute their moves to a natural disaster. The focus is on three issues: the characteristics of the movers and their recovery; a comparison with other involuntary movers (i.e., public and private displacees); and the amount of innovating or conserving behavior shown by different groups of movers and the impact of these behaviors on each groups recovery after the move. The paper compares disaster movers to all movers and to other forced movers. Distinct differences between the groups in their characteristics and housing recovery exist. The paper concludes with suggestions for continued analysis and policy implications.

The Impact of Residential Mortgage Foreclosure on Neighborhood Change and Succession

Many factors contribute to neighborhood change and succession, one being residential mortgage foreclosures. Limited attention has been paid to how residential mortgage foreclosures in a neighborhood are related to households’ socioeconomic status and mobility decisions and, thus, lead to overall neighborhood change. We use sheriff’s foreclosure sales data in Cuyahoga County between 1983 and 1989 to predict changes in neighborhood indicators from 1990 to 2000, controlling for various neighborhood and census place indicators and their changes. Results suggest that higher foreclosure rates are positively related to changes in percentage black population, female headship rate, median household income, and unemployment rate. We thus conclude that foreclosures speed up the housing filtering process, and racial and economic turnover of residents. Our results will enable planners and policy makers to understand the transitional process of these neighborhoods so that they can be stabilized in the years following concentrated foreclosures.

The Housing Life-Cycle and the Transition from Renting to Owning a Home in the United States: A Multistate Analysis

In this paper the concepts of the housing life-cycle and housing occupancy patterns in the United States are examined. The focus is on the move from renting to owning a home in the young adult years of life. Data from the national American Housing Survey, for the years 1974–1983, are combined with the techniques of multistate demography to produce housing life summary statistics and rates of movement by age. Parameterized curves are fitted to the empirical age-rate schedules and exogenous variables used to explain variation in the parameters related to young adults. Three simple, projection scenarios are also examined. The results indicate the importance of life-cycle factors and economic conditions in the shift from renting to owning a home.

NEIGHBORHOOD FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SAME-SEX HOUSEHOLDS IN U.S. CITIES

Quality of life cannot be fully described by the availability of regional amenities. Instead, it also depends on the quality of neighborhoods and housing. In connection with discussions on knowledge workers, not much systematic research has been done on the characteristics of neighborhoods characterized by high proportions of same-sex households. By analyzing census tracts within select counties across the United States using Poisson regressions, this article investigates what factors are related to the number of same-sex households.

Leadership Development for Faculty Women at The Ohio State University: The President and Provost’s Leadership Institute

The Problem. Universities struggle to create cultures that provide a welcoming home for women and underrepresented minorities. Department chairs often emerge reluctantly from among the faculty and are ill prepared to engage faculty and staff to achieve deep culture change, yet their role is vital if such change is to occur. The Solution. Recognizing a need for a completely new type of leader, Ohio State created the President and Provost’s Leadership Institute (PPLI) to develop a pool of women and underrepresented minority faculty who might move into leadership positions. The Stakeholders. The PPLI can provide a useful template for HRD practitioners who wish to tailor leadership development and succession planning strategies to address higher education’s unique culture and leadership pool challenges. For institutions interested in broadening the diversity of individuals prepared to lead, and developing leaders prepared to lead change, the PPLI is an example of one successful approach.

CENTRAL-CITY DISTRESS IN OHIO'S ELASTIC CITIES: REGIONAL AND LOCAL POLICY RESPONSES

Because of past annexation, Akron, Columbus, and Toledo all contain vacant land within the city boundaries and have active move-up housing markets, matching David Rusks idea of more elastic cities. The relative elasticity of these cities has helped but has not been a panacea and likely is to be less helpful in the future. This paper examines the relationship between elasticity and central-city distress, analyzes movement patterns of homesellers, examines the major reasons for and implications of this movement, considers various policy responses, and draws out common themes among the three more elastic cities. Despite the lack of legislative requirements for regional cooperation, all three cities have begun to negotiate agreements with suburban jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis. This development implies the need for legislation to encourage metropolitan-wide cooperation. The state has the power to enact such legislation, but the political will is open to question.

Mature suburbs, property values, and decline in the midwest? The case of Cuyahoga county

Abstract For most U.S. homeowners, a home represents the biggest investment they will ever make, and until recently, most expected the value of their property to rise. If the mature suburbs in which many of these homeowners live have problems or are in decline, property values could decrease and investment value will be lost. We define mature suburbs for Cuyahoga County, OH (the Cleveland area), and analyze the property values of single‐family homes there. We examine how property values have behaved in mature suburbs compared with the central city and developing suburbs and analyze specific factors that have influenced the property value of single‐family homes in these three submarkets from 1985 to 2000. Our analyses show that there is no overall decline in nominal property values. Housing space, nearness to workplaces and transportation networks, and tax rates are important variables in the model, affecting mature suburbs and developing suburbs differently.

The Impact of Real Estate Market Knowledge on Tenure Choice: A Comparison of Black and White Households

Abstract Homeownership is an important social and financial achievement for most U.S. households. Various explanations have been offered for the large and persistent gap in the ownership rates of black and white households, but studies have consistently fallen short of identifying all of the causes. The data we used were derived from a survey of the residents of the Columbus, OH, area. We argue that differences in real estate market knowledge and information affect the tenure choice decisions of black and white households. We estimate a model that is augmented to include a measure of real estate knowledge and find that additional knowledge increases the likelihood of homeownership. This holds even when we account for the endogeneity of such knowledge. We conclude that differences in real estate knowledge contribute to explaining the racial gap in homeownership rates, a finding that can be addressed through public policy interventions such as counseling programs.