{"id":5992,"date":"2024-12-19T17:53:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?p=5992"},"modified":"2024-12-19T17:53:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:53:06","slug":"questions-to-ask-about-the-metro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/questions-to-ask-about-the-metro\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions to Ask About the Metro"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Milan, the 60th anniversary of the opening of the first metro line coincides with the inauguration of a new line. Nearly all major cities around the world have an underground transportation network, of varying lengths, designed to streamline the movement of people. However, expanding these services comes with costs and benefits that are not always identifiable in advance, and the advantages are not universal.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

A few years before moving to Milan for university, I happened to read <\/span>Metropolis<\/span><\/i> by Giorgio Bocca. It was during the years of Tangentopoli, and that book\u2014received through a curious subscription of my father\u2019s\u2014painted the city exactly as we southern youth imagined it: bustling, gray, yet impeccably dressed. In my memory, the image of metro entrances in Piazza Duomo, “spewing out” hordes of “yuppies” in dark jackets with broad shoulders and flashy ties into the foggy winter morning, remains etched.<\/span><\/p>\n

The keyword in this personal recollection is “metro,” because those young people arriving downtown on the red line embodied the city\u2019s functioning before symbolizing Milanese finance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cities function (also) based on the time and cost of travel between their various zones: these two elements determine their size, real estate values, and appeal to businesses and workers. Building or extending a metro system, therefore, structurally alters the city’s internal organization, with significant consequences for quality of life\u2014often positive but sometimes negative for certain groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Subways Around the World<\/b><\/h3>\n

From an economic perspective, a city is essentially a dense network of movements interacting with real estate and labor markets. Oversimplifying somewhat, transportation costs (and thus travel times) and real estate values outline the economic landscape of contemporary urban areas, which have undergone extraordinary “densification” over the years\u2014a sharp population increase in spaces that have expanded, often chaotically.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the late 19th century, demographic pressure and spatial growth have driven the expansion of public transportation services, which took the form of subways with the opening of the first line in London in 1863. Since then, technologies have evolved dramatically\u2014from coal-powered to electric trains and now autonomous systems. Today, the vast majority of global metropolises, except in Africa, have metro systems, many with ambitious plans for further expansion.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’ve browsed real estate listings in major cities, you may have noticed that, alongside details about apartments and nearby schools, parks, shops, and venues, they often include the distance to the nearest metro station. Consumers\u2014workers and students alike\u2014place high value on speed and convenience, which the real estate market captures, driving up property prices and, to some extent, office rents. In short, metro networks undeniably improve quality of life by increasing accessibility but also drive up property values and, in turn, the city\u2019s size.<\/span><\/p>\n

A 2018 study found that 138 of the world\u2019s 642 most important cities have metro networks. Extending a metro network by 25% in a given area results in an average population increase of 12%. This population growth is accompanied by an expansion of built spaces, while downtown areas see a 0.5% to 2.2% reduction in density, as measured by nighttime light emissions detected from space.<\/span><\/p>\n

Environmental Benefits<\/b><\/h3>\n

In developed countries, subways are increasingly built for their potential environmental benefits. The idea is that fast urban travel encourages people to leave their cars at home and use public transportation instead. A 2022 study examined the opening of 58 new metro networks and the expansion of 143 others between 2001 and 2016, comparing these developments to air quality data in the affected areas. The conclusion? On average, underground public transport does not necessarily reduce pollution. However, in the most polluted cities (with PM2.5 particulate matter concentrations exceeding 28 micrograms per cubic meter in 2000), pollution decreased by about 4%\u2014a seemingly modest figure but one that translates into avoiding at least 22 premature deaths and saving at least 500 adult lives annually.<\/span><\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s Metro Networks<\/b><\/h3>\n

Italy’s first underground rail network was Naples’ urban rail tunnel in the 1920s. The first true metro line, Rome\u2019s Line A, opened in 1955, followed by Milan\u2019s M1 in 1964. Today, according to the National Infrastructure and Transport Report, Italy has 215 kilometers of metro networks in seven cities (Brescia, Catania, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Rome, and Turin), with 1,527 trains carrying approximately 584 million passengers annually. Despite the media hype surrounding new metro sections, the network has seen modest expansion in recent years: in 2014, the network already spanned 202 kilometers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the latest addition in Milan, the M4 line connecting San Cristoforo in the southwest to Linate Airport, has generated considerable excitement and high expectations for its potential benefits. Some newspapers report property value increases of up to 42% in areas served by the new metro, a trend that has displaced many families.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who Benefits\u2014and Who Doesn\u2019t?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Understanding the impact of new metro stations is a complex exercise. A study on Rome\u2019s Metro C showed that the new infrastructure had a negative impact on average housing prices in served areas: three years after opening, prices fell by \u20ac137 per square meter, or about 5%. This decrease was concentrated in high-value properties. Meanwhile, the areas experienced an increase in foreign populations. In other words, the new infrastructure was perceived as a benefit for lower-income families but a drawback for wealthier ones.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reasons for this are unclear. One hypothesis is that higher-income families are bothered by factors associated with the metro, such as noise, reduced perceived safety, or changes in the neighborhood\u2019s ethnic composition. These issues also arose during the modernization of Naples\u2019 metro and the opening of new stations linking the city center to problematic peripheral areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Questions About the Metro\u2019s Future<\/b><\/h3>\n

Efficient public transport is essential for urban well-being and economic growth\u2014not just because mobility is crucial for residents and newcomers but also because it can reduce car use, offering environmental and social benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

This may seem like a straightforward economic mechanism, but it conceals challenges tied to decision-making for public investments in metro networks and their broader effects. I\u2019ve identified at least three key issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, following European practices, large infrastructure projects must undergo strict cost-benefit analyses, comparing investment and operational costs to social benefits. In the case of metros, these benefits often stem from reduced pollution and greenhouse gas emissions due to less traffic, saving time for metro users and, potentially, drivers. However, if private mobility becomes fully decarbonized, many environmental benefits of metros would disappear. Future investments will therefore need to rely primarily on congestion reduction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, it\u2019s unclear whether metro networks increase or reduce inequalities. While they improve access to job-rich areas, they also raise residential property values, displacing workers who don\u2019t directly benefit but face higher rents. Conversely, they increase the well-being of property owners and workers who save valuable commuting time. Managing these inequalities is particularly relevant for increasingly unequal cities like Milan but receives little attention from local governments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Third, the administrative city\u2014the decision-makers\u2014and the economic city\u2014the residents\u2014are deeply disconnected. This creates political and financial conflicts between capital cities and suburban municipalities, not only over operating expenses (commuters don\u2019t pay taxes in the cities where they work) but also over investments. Planning infrastructure for an economic region rather than an administrative one requires more agile and effective decision-making processes, which the elusive \u201cmetropolitan city\u201d framework has yet to achieve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Metro systems are expensive and complex investments that take years to build. As the Campanian rapper Clementino quipped: \u201cThis metro you\u2019ve been digging for 20 years, are you building it or just looking for it?\u201d Today, Milan rightly celebrates a new service, but critical economic and social issues\u2014such as inequality, mobility decarbonization, and future autonomous vehicles\u2014still need open discussion and resolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marco Percoco is a professor of transport and territorial economics at Bocconi University\u2019s Department of Social and Political Sciences. He is also the founder and director of the university\u2019s GREEN research center. He has served in key advisory roles for the Italian government and currently advises the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on its PNRR mission.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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