Assessing vulnerabilities in Beirut Post-Explosion: combining survey and satellite data
Research Assistant: Andrea Nasuto
The proposed research build on Pietrostefani et al.’s (2022) analysis of vulnerability indicators, specifically livelihoods, housing and mental-wellbeing measures, and focus on the added-values of combining satellite imagery with perception-based surveys to further the understanding of urban inequalities. The research adopts two methodological strategies: supervised machine learning to identify urban morphological changes from the Beirut blast using classification techniques, and a first-difference approach to evaluate the effects of the blast. The first-difference approach will exploit original survey data from both Beirut (treated) and Tripoli (control) to explore differences in livelihood and well-being effects. An advanced tree-based regression model (LightGBM) will then be designated to predict the relationship between morphological indices and vulnerability indicators. Findings will be shared with local stakeholder and communities to serve the larger urban recovery framework in response to the Beirut blast.
Transforming Financial Inclusion to Finance Inclusive Prosperity in Ramallah, Palestine
Principal Investigator: Dr Christopher Harker
Co-Investigator: Dr Elisabetta Pietrostefani
Funding period: September 2022 - September 2025
Funder: ESRC
Project partner: Palestine Monetary Authority
The Economics of Architecture
with Gabriel Ahlfeldt
We illustrate the coordination problem in the provision of distinctive architectural design that arises from design externalities within a quantitative model. To quantify the model, we provide the first quantitative review of a growing literature concerned with the costs and benefits of distinctive design. We find that distinctive buildings sell at a 10% premium, on average. Positive design spillovers from distinctive nearby buildings result in a similar premium. Distinctive buildings, however, are about 25% more expensive to build. Parametrizing the model to match these moments, we show in counterfactual simulations that subsidizing the development of distinctive buildings can be welfare-enhancing.