Access to employment and property values in Mexico

Abstract

Location is one of the main characteristics households consider when buying a property or deciding where to live, since it determines accessibility to transport and hence to jobs and employment. Using a geographically-referenced dataset on new housing developments, this paper estimates how households value accessibility in Mexico City. Results are shown considering road accessibility to formal employment subcenters (private accessibility) and distance to the main public transport stations in the city (public accessibility). Results suggest that accessibility to employment subcenters is valued as an amenity by households but being closer to a Metro station is perceived as a disamenity. Moreover, households located in neighborhoods with a greater proportion of informal workers and with lower education levels give a lower value to private accessibility than households located in neighborhoods with a lower proportion of informal workers or in high-educated neighborhoods. These results are evidence of the existence of spatial segregation in the city where disadvantaged households are segregated, not only because of their economic conditions, but because they are located farther away from employment opportunities. The results in this work stress the importance of thinking about integrated land use and transport policies.