Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 2017
  • Article
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Computer Vision Uncovers Predictors of Physical Urban Change

By: Nikhil Naik, Scott Duke Kominers, Ramesh Raskar, Edward L. Glaeser and César A. Hidalgo
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

Which neighborhoods experience physical improvements? In this paper, we introduce a computer vision method to measure changes in the physical appearances of neighborhoods from time-series street-level imagery. We connect changes in the physical appearance of five U.S. cities with economic and demographic data and find three factors that predict neighborhood improvement. First, neighborhoods that are densely populated by college-educated adults are more likely to experience physical improvements—an observation that is compatible with the economic literature linking human capital and local success. Second, neighborhoods with better initial appearances experience, on average, larger positive improvements—an observation that is consistent with “tipping” theories of urban change. Third, neighborhood improvement correlates positively with physical proximity to the central business district and to other physically attractive neighborhoods—an observation that is consistent with the “invasion” theories of urban sociology. Together, our results provide support for three classical theories of urban change and illustrate the value of using computer vision methods and street-level imagery to understand the physical dynamics of cities.

Keywords

Urban Economics; Gentrification; Urban Studies; Computer Vision; Nieghborhood Effects; Urban Development; Situation or Environment; Demographics; Economics; Change

Citation

Naik, Nikhil, Scott Duke Kominers, Ramesh Raskar, Edward L. Glaeser, and César A. Hidalgo. "Computer Vision Uncovers Predictors of Physical Urban Change." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, no. 29 (July 18, 2017).
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Read Now

About The Author

Scott Duke Kominers

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • October 2023
    • American Economic Review

    Matching Mechanisms for Refugee Resettlement

    By: David Delacrétaz, Scott Duke Kominers and Alexander Teytelboym
    • July 13, 2023
    • Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

    Threads Foreshadows a Big—and Surprising—Shift in Social Media

    By: Scott Duke Kominers and Liang Wu
    • May 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Twitter Blues: Does Paid Verification Check Out?

    By: Scott Duke Kominers, Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman
More from the Authors
  • Matching Mechanisms for Refugee Resettlement By: David Delacrétaz, Scott Duke Kominers and Alexander Teytelboym
  • Threads Foreshadows a Big—and Surprising—Shift in Social Media By: Scott Duke Kominers and Liang Wu
  • Twitter Blues: Does Paid Verification Check Out? By: Scott Duke Kominers, Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College