News & Events

Professor Albert Saiz and Arianna Salazar Miranda have published a new article in the MIT CRE working paper series titled "Understanding Urban Economies, Land Use, and Social Dynamics in the City: Big Data and Measurement." The paper presents an overview of big data sources used in urban science and urban economics, with the goal of directing and enriching future research. Read the paper.

Professor Albert Saiz was in Bern, Switzerland, at the CRED-MIT Workshop on Real Estate Economics, giving a keynote speech about his recent paper "The Global Housing Affordability Crisis: Policy Options and Strategies." The event took place at the University of Bern, Switzerland, on August 8. Organized by Simon Buechler (MIT), the workshop aimed to stimulate the exchange of ideas among researchers and industry, contributing to understanding the current challenges in the real estate market.

Link to the paper: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4402329

Three members of the Urban Economics Lab participated in the 2023 AREUEA National Conference in Washington DC. Professor Albert Saiz (UEL's PI and Second Vice President of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association), Vinicios Sant'Anna (Postdoctoral Associate), and Elena Lutz (Research Associate) participated in this amazing conference, which brings together policymakers, academics, and real estate practitioners to present and discuss the latest research in urban economics and real estate. See the Conference agenda (here).

We are thrilled to announce that our lab's researcher, Arianna Salazar Miranda, has completed her Ph.D. and is joining the School of the Environment at Yale University in 2024. Before that, she will be a postdoctoral fellow at the MIT Senseable City Lab and the University of Chicago. Congratulations!

Check out her exciting portfolio of work here: http://ariana.scripts.mit.edu/portfolio/

How to address the global housing affordability crisis? Professor Albert Saiz's latest working paper outlines the tradeoffs between different housing policy objectives of the government and the public while discussing their main caveats and advantages. The paper describes thirty different economic strategies underpinning housing policies worldwide and discusses their main advantages and caveats. Read the paper.

The MIT Urban Economics Lab is now also on Twitter. Follow us on @MIT_uelab for information on the lab's latest research, news, opportunities, & more! 

Professor Albert Saiz, participated in the 31st National Conference "Desarrollando El México Del Futuro", in Mérida, Yucatán. The conference joined an outstanding group of panelists including policymakers, academics, and industry representatives to discuss the challenges, and the innovative, affordable, and sustainable solutions that will transform the housing industry in Mexico.

Professor Albert Saiz, was elected as the Second Vice President of American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA). AREUEA is the leading academic association supporting and promoting quality real estate & urban economics research across the world. The election of its officials and board members is highly competitive. This is a testament to Albert’s intellectual leadership and excellent reputation in our academic community of real estate and urban economics. Congratulations!