Terrorism and the Resilience of Cities

20 Pages Posted: 21 Sep 2005

See all articles by James Harrigan

James Harrigan

University of Virginia - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Philippe Martin

Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC) - Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherche en Analyse Socio-Economique (CERAS); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Abstract

The September 11 attacks in New York and Washington have forced Americans to confront the fact that to live or work in a large city is to be at greater risk of large-scale terrorism. What do these risks, and the public perception of them, imply for cities in general and the future of New York City in particular? In this article, the authors begin their exploration of this issue by examining why cities exist in the first place. To conduct their analysis, they simulate two key theoretical models of economic geography, using data that approximate the characteristics of a major U.S. city as well as estimates of the costs of the September 11 attacks. The authors conclude that the very forces that lead to city formation also lead cities to be highly resilient in the face of catastrophes such as terrorist attacks. They argue that New York City in particular is likely to continue to thrive despite any ongoing terrorist threat.

Keywords: terrorism, agglomeration, city, cities

JEL Classification: R1, R12, H56

Suggested Citation

Harrigan, James and Martin, Philippe, Terrorism and the Resilience of Cities. Economic Policy Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, November 2002, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=803506

James Harrigan (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 400182
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4182
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Philippe Martin

Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC) - Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherche en Analyse Socio-Economique (CERAS) ( email )

28, rue des Saints-Peres
75007 Paris
France
+33 1 4313 6385 (Phone)
+33 1 4313 6382 (Fax)

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

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