When does building new housing make urban neighborhoods more affordable for low- and middle-income families and when does it raise housing costs and spur gentrification?
Erica's dissertation research uses proprietary and public data to examine how urban retailers choose where to locate, how their presence (or absence) makes neighborhoods more desirable (or undesirable) for different types of residents, and how lenders’ and landlords’ incentives and constraints shape these processes.
Using a major change in Massachusetts laws governing the release of information about criminal records to examine the causal effect of a criminal record on an individual’s ability to move to neighborhoods with high social mobility measures, low crime rates, and better schools.
Exploring how different coastal real estate markets are responding to global climate change, with a particular focus on the relationship between flood hazards and home prices.