Biography
Hans Koster (1987) is Full Professor of Urban Economics and Real Estate in the Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He received his Ph.D. in 2013 with a dissertation on the economics of urban spatial structure. Hans is also a Research Fellow at the Tinbergen Institute, a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, and a Research Associate at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
His research focuses on the economic analysis of cities, regions, and the environment. Key interests include housing affordability, the spatial concentration of firms and households, the effects of place-based policies, urban inequality and segregation, and the dynamics of retail and commercial real estate markets. His work typically combines large-scale datasets with advanced econometric methods.
Hans has received several academic distinctions, including the August Lösch Prize, the Urban Land Institute Prize, and the Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award. In the ESB Dutch Economist Rankings (which have been discontinued as of 2023), he was placed 10th in 2023, 14th in 2022, 21st in 2021, and 24th in 2020.
Teaching
Programme director of MSc Spatial & Applied Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Master course Applied Econometrics for Spatial Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Master course Urban Economic Challenges & Policies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Bachelor course Urban Economics and Real Estate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
B.Sc. and M.Sc. thesis supervision at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Summer schools/intensive courses at IDE, Central Bank of Portugal, ISEG.
Guest lectures at IDE, the University of Moratuwa, University of Antwerp, Universiteit Utrecht, and the Universiteit Twente.
Hans holds a senior teaching qualification (Seniorkwalificatie Onderwijs).
Reviewing
Hans is associate editor at Regional Science and Urban Economics and has reviewed articles submitted to the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of the European Economic Association, American Economics Journal: Applied Economics, American Economics Journal: Economic Policy, American Political Science Review, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Urban Economics, Journal of Economic Geography, European Economic Review, Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Transportation Research Part B, Journal of Regional Science, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Energy Economics, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Journal of Housing Economics, Southern Economic Journal, Economic Inquiry, Environment and Planning A, International Regional Science Review, Land Use Policy, Urban Studies, Regional Studies, Real Estate Research Quarterly, and De Economist.
Awards, prizes and grants
| Authors | Type | Project | Year | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koster, H.R.A. De Graaff, T. | NV Zeedijk Grant | The external effects of coordinated investments in the built environment | 2025 | |
| Daniel Hörcher Koster, H.R.A. | National Research Excellence Programme Hungary | Mobility, street design and urban amenities | 2025 | |
| Koster, H.R.A. | Journal of Economic Geography Best Referee Award | Refereeing | 2024 | https://academic.oup.com/joeg/pages/best_referee_prize |
| Van Ommeren, J.N. Koster, H.R.A. | NWO Open L Grant | Housing Affordability and Policy | 2024 | |
| Koster, H.R.A. | Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award | The Welfare Effects of Greenbelt Policy: Evidence from England | 2020 | Sakıp Sabancı International Research Award |
| Cole, M.A Koster, H.R.A. Ozgen, C. | BBS Small Project Grant | The Effects of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund | 2020 | |
| Dröes, M.I. Koster, H.R.A. | Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat, Onderzoeksgrant | The Effects of Wind Turbines and Solar Farms on Housing Markets | 2019 | https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/brieven_regering/detail?id=2019Z25445&did=2019D52358 |
| Koster, H.R.A. Ozgen, C. | IAS Vanguard Fellowship | Skills Mismatch and Agglomeration | 2018 | https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/ias/vanguard-fellowship-programme/2018/Koster.aspx |
| Koster, H.R.A. Rouwendal, J. | Research grant from Academisch Fonds Vastgoedkunde | Bricks, Buildings and Boroughs | 2016 | http://www.academischfondsvastgoedkunde.nl/waaraan/toegekende-aanvragen/toegekende-aanvraag-hans-koster |
| Koster, H.R.A. | Journal of Economic Geography Best Referee Award | Refereeing | 2015 | https://academic.oup.com/joeg/pages/best_referee_prize |
| Koster, H.R.A. | Van der Knaap Prize | The Internal Structure of Cities: The Economics of Agglomeration, Amenities and Accessibility | 2015 | http://www.khmw.nl/prijzen/prijs/van-der-knaap-prijs/11 |
| Koster, H.R.A. Van Ommeren, J.N. Rietveld, P. | Urban Land Institute Prize for Best Paper in Journal of Economic Geography | Is the Sky the Limit? High-rise Buildings and Office Rents | 2015 | http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jnlecg/urban-land-institute-prize.html |
| Koster, H.R.A. | Veni Grant from NWO | Places, planning, prices and politics: The Welfare Economics of Urban Planning | 2014 | http://www.nwo.nl/onderzoek-en-resultaten/programmas/vernieuwingsimpuls/toekenningen/alle+veni+toekenningen/toekenningen+veni+2014 |
| Koster, H.R.A. | KVS penning, runner-up<\em> | The Internal Structure of Cities: The Economics of Agglomeration, Amenities and Accessibility | 2014 | https://www.urbaneconomics.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Juryrapport-KVS-penning-2014.pdf |
| Koster, H.R.A. | August Lösch Prize | The Internal Structure of Cities: The Economics of Agglomeration, Amenities and Accessibility | 2014 | http://www.ifr.uni-kiel.de/de/august-loesch-prize |
| Koster, H.R.A. Dericks, G. | Data-without-Boundaries Grant | Land Use Planning, Agglomeration Economies And The Office Market: Evidence From Blitz Bombings | 2014 | http://www.dwbproject.org/ |
| Koster, H.R.A. | Junior Societal Impact Award, runner-up<\em> | The Internal Structure of Cities: The Economics of Agglomeration, Amenities and Accessibility | 2013 | http://www.feweb.vu.nl/nl/nieuws-agenda/nieuwsarchief/2013-2014/koster-and-rietveld-nominated-for-societal-impact-award.asp#.U4S4_PldXTo |
| Koster, H.R.A. Sanchis-Guarner, R. | Data-without-Boundaries Grant | Job Mobility And Productivity: Are Job-Hoppers More Productive? | 2013 | http://www.dwbproject.org/ |
| Koster, H.R.A. Van Ommeren, J.N. Rietveld, P. | Graduate Student-led paper award at NARSC conference | Historic Amenities, Income and Sorting of Households | 2011 | http://www.feweb.vu.nl/en/news-agenda/news-archive/2011-2012/sergej-gubins-and-hans-koster-win-narsc-paper-competition.asp |
| Koster, H.R.A. | SER Thesis Prize | The Impact of Mixed Land Use on Residential Property Values | 2010 | http://www.ser.nl/nl/educatie/scriptieprijs_2010.aspx |
