An Economic Analysis of the Impact of Oil Prices on Urban Structures

This study examines ways in which residents of Canadian cities are affected by increases in petroleum prices. The authors apply economic models of residential and industrial location to determine the response of individuals and firms to higher oil prices in the short run and the long run. The short run effects include conservation of higher price petroleum products and reduction in other expenditures; the long run effects include movement closer to employment centres, changes in urban densities, rents, and house prices, and the substitution of other forms of transit. The implications for municipal zoning, the provision of parks, the location of schools and other public facilities, and plans for road building and expressways are also considered.