Open Access Journal Article

The Policy Relevance of Urban Scaling Laws: A Study on Impervious Ground in German Cities

by Rolf Bergs a,*
a
PRAC Bergs & Issa Partnership Co., Im Hopfengarten 19b, 65812 Bad Soden, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
JEA  https://doi.org/10.58567/jea04010006
Received: 11 March 2024 / Accepted: 7 June 2024 / Published Online: 26 August 2024
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Abstract

The expansion of urban infrastructure is an important indicator of agglomeration and a major factor in the deterioration of the urban environment. The investment in urban infrastructure is accompanied by the sealing of ground. The implementation of effective policies to reduce the practice of sealing ground is impeded by the existence of conflicting interests and fiscal disincentives. A significant challenge is the dearth of policy-relevant information. Conventional analysis considers urban outcome indicators in proportion to population and neglects non-linear distribution patterns, thus obscuring global regularities that contain important information. The study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of urban imperviousness through the lens of urban scaling. The present study employs Germany as a case study to examine the extent to which the parameters of the scaling function differ between two types of cities. District Affiliated Cities (DACs) and Administrative City Districts (ACDs), which are afforded greater fiscal autonomy. The analysis indicates that the amount of sealed land exhibited a notable increase between 2006 and 2018 in the ACDs. Calibration of the scaling functions for cities with the actual coefficient of the DAC control estimate and a global orientation exponent (5/6) resulted in a 16% reduction of sealed ground. In conclusion, urban scaling laws offer a valuable tool for analyzing the complex dynamics of urban imperviousness and its control costs, thereby contributing to the formulation of more effective urban policies and planning.

Keywords: Urban Scaling; Imperviousness; Sustainable Development; Urban Economics; Urban Policy;
Copyright: © 2024 by Bergs. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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ACS Style
Bergs, R. The Policy Relevance of Urban Scaling Laws: A Study on Impervious Ground in German Cities. Journal of Economic Analysis, 2024, 92. https://doi.org/10.58567/jea04010006
AMA Style
Bergs R. The Policy Relevance of Urban Scaling Laws: A Study on Impervious Ground in German Cities. Journal of Economic Analysis; 2024:92. https://doi.org/10.58567/jea04010006
Chicago/Turabian Style
Bergs, Rolf 2024. "The Policy Relevance of Urban Scaling Laws: A Study on Impervious Ground in German Cities" Journal of Economic Analysis:92. https://doi.org/10.58567/jea04010006
APA style
Bergs, R. (2024). The Policy Relevance of Urban Scaling Laws: A Study on Impervious Ground in German Cities. Journal of Economic Analysis, 92. https://doi.org/10.58567/jea04010006

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