Swarnankur Chatterjee

Historic Preservation and Residential Property Values: Evidence from Quantile Regression

Historic designation is increasingly used as a means to achieve both preservation and community economic development. This study considered the effects of historic designation on residential property values in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. The results support the well-established notion in urban economics literature that historic preservation has a positive impact on property values. However, appreciation of property values may displace less-affluent residents of historic districts after designation takes place. The results also show that the lower-end properties gain the most value from historic preservation. Thus, it must indeed be recognised that with increasing values comes the very real possibility that displacement of neighbourhood residents can occur.

Individual wealth accumulation: Why does dining together as a family matter?

This study uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine whether self-regulation, proxied by regularly dining together with family, is associated with better financial preparedness and greater wealth accumulation across time among households. Findings reveal that individuals who had sufficient self-regulation to regularly eat meals together with their family, increased wealth at a faster rate than others between 1994 and 2004. Moreover, those who exhibited self-regulation by frequently spending mealtime with their family showed greater preference for investment portfolio diversification. Consistent with other studies, results indicate that wealth accumulation increased with age, income, and educational attainment.