Topographic amenities,building height,and the supply of urban housing

This article develops a housing supply model that treats explicitly the effects of location-specific amenities. The model employs a production function in which housing services are produced not only by structures, but also by access to and views of location-specific amenities. Housing supply is measured by building height. The model is tested with data from the city of Chicago. Access to and view of Lake Michigan are found to have a significant effect on the height of buildings.