RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 How Does Urbanization Affect Water Withdrawals? Insights from an Econometric-Based Landscape Simulation
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 413
OP 436
DO 10.3368/le.93.3.413
VO 93
IS 3
A1 Bigelow, Daniel P.
A1 Plantinga, Andrew J.
A1 Lewis, David J.
A1 Langpap, Christian
YR 2017
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/93/3/413.abstract
AB Effects on water resources are an understudied aspect of the environmental consequences of urbanization. We study how urban land development affects water withdrawals on a regional scale to account for market adjustments, human behavioral responses, and government institutions. Fine-scale econometric and simulation methods are used to represent the spatial heterogeneity associated with determinants of water withdrawals. Our analysis reveals a complicated relationship between future water withdrawals and changes in socioeconomic drivers. Despite population growth of approximately 85% and a doubling of income, water withdrawals in two urban areas increase by at most 12% and in another area, decrease slightly. (JEL Q24, Q25)