Project description
A closer look at how cities change
In some cities, people interact more on the streets than around office water coolers, work in different ways depending on their location, and exhibit varied consumption patterns. The shift to working from home is not the only change; it also involves reorganising the locations and hierarchies of firms. The ERC-funded CITYBUZZ project uses anonymised mobile phone and credit card data to understand how cities are evolving. It examines face-to-face interactions, consumption patterns, and company organisation across different locations. The project aims to distinguish meaningful interactions from casual encounters, measure social connections, and explore how individuals use different venues, considering endogenous amenities and location choices. It also investigates changes in company hierarchies and their impact on employees.
Objective
This research project aims to understand the changing landscape of cities. These are cities where face-to-face interactions happen less around office water coolers and more on the streets; where individuals not only produce differently by location but also have heterogeneous consumption; and where, beyond the adoption of working from home, the transformation of work involves a reorganisation of firms' establishments and hierarchies across locations.
To capture face-to-face interactions accurately, we use anonymised cellphone records to identify spatial and temporal overlaps among users who also have phone conversations. By combining location and call data, meaningful interactions are distinguished from passing strangers, while quantifying social connectivity and distinguishing between strong and weak ties. The project examines variations in quantity, quality, and diversity of face-to-face interactions across spatial contexts. It isolates the effects of the urban environment from personal characteristics by studying individual changes following shocks.
The project also investigates consumption differences across locations. It uses anonymised credit card data to examine the quantity, quality, and variety of consumption venues, going beyond locally available venues to explore how individuals utilise them and accounting for endogenous amenities and location choices. We consider co-consumption evidence, residence, and job information to understand leisure interactions among neighbours, co-workers, and friends.
Finally, we explore changes in the hierarchical organisation of firms across space. Using matched employer-employee data and a model of cities and hierarchies, we investigate how firms organise establishments and managerial hierarchies across locations. Moreover, we examine the relationship between systematic differences in firms' hierarchies across cities and workers' progression to explain the city-size earnings premium.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28014 Madrid
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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