Call for Papers
Real Estate Economics Special Issue on Sustainability and Affordability

As workplace and residential location choices influence the degree of exposure to environmental harms and risks associated with climate change, real estate markets play a critical role in determining a household’s access to a clean, safe and sustainable environment. However, race and class intersect with real estate markets for space and assets in complicated ways. The editors of Real Estate Economics are pleased to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue on Sustainability and Affordability, that explores the mechanisms behind and consequences of the relationships between these issues. Christopher Timmins has agreed to serve a guest editor of the special issue. Submissions addressing all aspects of sustainability and affordability are welcome, including, but not limited to:

• Variation in (climate) disaster exposure by race and income - Gender, race, and other social equity issues in real estate
• Discrimination, disparities and diversity in urban development and real estate industries (e.g., mortgage, appraisal, brokerage)
• Zoning and regulation (e.g., environmental regulations such as density restrictions that limit the development of affordable housing, and other zoning rules that target polluting industries in low-income and minority neighborhoods).
• The interaction between zoning, segregation, exposure to pollution, and the development of affordable housing.
• Gentrification and the displacement of low-income renters, along with other distributional consequences of neighborhood change.
• Discrimination and steering into polluted neighborhoods
• Historical development, urban form and present-day pollution exposure (e.g., historical redlining leading to highway construction and urban renewal programs that today create urban heat islands)
• Access to affordable/voucher housing and neighborhood quality
• Housing quality, energy efficiency, and energy injustice
• Documenting disproportionate pollution exposure
• Asset market implications of environmental and social sustainability issues
• Green finance

While we expect the majority of the papers accepted for publication will be innovative, high-quality papers addressing specific research questions, we also welcome papers that provide a review of the literature related to any of these topics. Submissions are expected to meet REE’s usual high standards for publication. The submission window is August 1 ,2022 -- January 31, 2023. Authors should submit papers using the standard REE submission website and select “Special Issue on Sustainability and Affordability.” Papers will be entered into the review process as they are received.

To increase the visibility of the papers that are submitted to the special issue, the University of Wisconsin at Madison will hold a conference on June 4-5, 2023 for papers have been given revise and resubmit requests for the special issue. The conference will be held at the Wisconsin School of Business with joint sponsorship by UW-Madison and the AREUEA, together with UCLA, Tel Aviv University and ESCP Business school. We expect to cover local hotel, meals, and a flat component of expenses for travel to Madison for presenters and discussants of papers chosen for the conference.