Quality of Life in Urban Neighborhoods in Costa Rica

53 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2011

See all articles by Roger Madrigal

Roger Madrigal

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Juan Robalino

Universidad de Costa Rica - School of Economics

Luis Hall

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: October 2008

Abstract

This paper considers valuation of amenities in urban neighborhoods and satisfaction with those neighborhoods and life in general. First, rents are used to estimate the price of neighborhood amenities in San Jose, which explains 39% of the standardized variation of rents. Some districts rank very high in housing characteristics but poorly in neighborhood amenities, while others rank poorly in housing characteristics but high in neighborhood amenities, suggesting that indirect policy measures might reduce inequality in urban areas by improving neighborhood amenities. Second, the paper explores differences in the valuation of amenities by calculating prices in different urban areas. In more sparsely populated urban areas, distance to national parks becomes less important, but distance to primary roads becomes more important. Finally, housing and safety satisfaction represent the key components of life satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

Madrigal, Roger and Robalino, Juan and Hall, Luis, Quality of Life in Urban Neighborhoods in Costa Rica (October 2008). IDB Working Paper No. 244, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1815927 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1815927

Roger Madrigal (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Juan Robalino

Universidad de Costa Rica - School of Economics ( email )

San Jose
Costa Rica

Luis Hall

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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