Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environment, Economics and Politics

Reader 1

Nicholas Kacher

Reader 2

Kathleen Purvis-Roberts

Rights Information

Alondra Cobian

Abstract

Air quality plays a significant role in economics. Housing markets have established the importance of air quality in relation to housing prices and housing density. Negative externalities, including human health impacts like respiratory illnesses from air pollution, underlie the importance of air quality. This thesis analyzes the impacts of zoning restrictiveness on air quality to understand how land use impacts environmental factors. This study implements a linear regression model and a multivariable regression model using the 2018 Wharton Residential Land Use Index (WRLURI) and 2018 Air Quality Index data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Rural-Urban Continuum Codes from the United States Department of Agriculture are used to further analyze the relationship between land restrictions and air quality across counties in the United States. Results show that as land-use restrictions increase AQI increases, and rural areas have better air quality. Land use regulations are significant without adding rural-urban continuum codes as a control. This presents an opportunity for further research on the potential impacts that land regulation has on air quality.

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS