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Urban Growth and Decline: The Role of Population Density at the City Core

January 7, 2012 Comments off
Source:  Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
In recent decades, some cities have seen their urban centers lose population density, as residents spread farther out to suburbs and exurbs. Others have kept populous downtowns even as their environs have grown. Population density in general has economic advantages, so one might wonder whether a loss of density, which may be a symptom of negative economic shocks, could amplify those shocks. We look at four decades of census data and show that growing cities have maintained dense urban centers, while shrinking cities have not. There are reasons to think that loss of population density at the core of the city could be particularly damaging to productivity. If this is the case, there could be productivity gains from policies aimed at reversing that trend.
Categories: business and economics, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, urban issues

Growing Cities, Shrinking Cities

April 18, 2011 Comments off

Growing Cities, Shrinking Cities
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

As the 2010 census data rolls out, researchers will be conducting extensive analysis on a variety of issues. So far we have only been privy to the re-apportionment (population) data, which have generated their fair share of media coverage. Regardless of the media spin, a clearer picture of how cities’ populations have changed from 2000 to 2010 is emerging. What are some of the characteristics of the cities that grew, and how do they compare to those of the cities that shrank?

Categories: business and economics, education, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, industries, labor, manufacturing

Recent Developments in Inflation Expectations

April 9, 2011 Comments off

Recent Developments in Inflation Expectations
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Recent increases in energy and food prices have fed concerns about the prospect of inflation in the near future. While the rising prices of these important commodities are felt by everyone, as two prices among many, they do not necessarily signal impending inflation. For a better gauge of future inflation, we turn to various measures of inflation expectations. Inflation expectations are both a predictor and an important factor in future inflation, and as it happens, most of the short-term inflation expectation measures we have looked at have been rising lately.

Categories: business and economics, consumer issues, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

The Great Recession’s Effect on Entrepreneurship

April 4, 2011 Comments off

The Great Recession’s Effect on Entrepreneurship
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Though the recent recession was the worst downturn since the Great Depression, some observers argue that one silver lining is an upswing in entrepreneurship. Recessions, they claim, provide laid-off workers with the motivation to start their own businesses, and a recent study suggests that in 2009 the number people becoming self employed spiked to its highest level in more than a decade. Unfortunately, a careful look at multiple sources of data shows that the Great Recession was actually a time of considerable decline in entrepreneurial activity in the United States.

Categories: business and economics, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, small business and entrepreneurship
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