Shishir Mathur

Professor

Urban and Regional Planning

Current Research Activities

My research lies within and at the intersection of municipal finance, urban and real estate economics, urban growth management, and transportation policy. It seeks to explore the following lines of inquiry: First, examine the housing and urban development impacts of various policy measures public projects. Second, examine the feasibility of using innovative infrastructure finance mechanisms. Third, gain a deeper understanding of the interactions between infrastructure finance, property markets, and spatial patterns of settlements in the Global South.  Under the first line of inquiry, I am examining how households make trade-offs between the quality of elementary, middle, and high schools while buying houses.  Under the second line of inquiry, I am conducting a nation-wide study to examine the use of transportation user fees to fund transit infrastructure. Under the third line of inquiry, I am assessing the effectiveness of development charges to fund urban development in the Global South, especially India. 

Research Connections to Current Events

My research is primarily motivated by concerns about the potential for inequitable outcomes of public policy measures.  For example, it explores direct and indirect equity impacts of various infrastructure finance mechanisms such as impact fees, tax increment financing, and special assessment districts, as well as policies such as attendance-area-based approach to providing K-12 education. 

Social Media

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Keywords

public finance; land value capture; international development; transportation; land use; municipal finance; housing markets; real estate economics; urban economics; growth management

Other Languages

Hindi