Nathaniel Baum-Snow is currently working to better understand trends in the spatial distribution of population and employment in U.S. metropolitan areas. In particular, he is investigating the role of transportation infrastructure in the location decisions of firms and households. In addition, he is investigating the role of local public goods such as school quality in determining residential location decisions.
In collaboration with Matthew E. Kahn, Dr. Baum-Snow is investigating reasons for the decline in public transit ridership in U.S. cities.