Can land value taxation help curb urban sprawl? Simulation findings from Des Moines
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Date
2021-12
Authors
Queen, Samuel
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Winters, John
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Abstract
Urban sprawl is characterized by inefficient development, low-density, single-family housing, and restrictive zoning laws. Externalities may arise, such as increased regional energy consumption, pollution, and traffic congestion, indicating deadweight loss occurring in the current development scheme. A split-rate tax system is theorized to help curb these externalities and produce more dense development. By taxing the value of the land at a higher rate than the value of the structures, producers are incentivized to build larger properties and efficiently develop a parcel of land. A partial equilibrium model was created to simulate the effects of a split-rate tax on building density in the five largest cities in the Des Moines metropolitan statistical area. The results show that the shift from a single uniform tax to a split-rate tax increases the intensity of the development of a given parcel.
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2021