About
Biography
Hans Koster (1987) is an associate professor at the Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Hans obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and his master’s degree (cum laude) in Spatial Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He defended his Ph.D. thesis in 2013 on the economics of the spatial structure of cities. Hans is also a Leading Research Fellow at the Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg, affiliated as Research Fellow with the Tinbergen Institute, as Research Associate with the Centre for Economic Performance (Urban Programme) at the London School of Economics, and as Research Affiliate with the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
Hans’s research concerns the economic analysis of cities, regions and the environment. In an ever-changing urban world, there are several important questions that require answers. For example, how do we cope with the challenges of a steadily increasing urban population? How do people and firms compete for space? What are the costs and benefits of land use regulations? Should we invest public money in deprived neighbourhoods to reduce spatial disparities? These and other questions Hans is trying to answer using big data and advanced econometric techniques.
Teaching experience
Master course Advanced Methods for Applied Spatial Economic Research at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Master course Applied Spatial Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Bachelor course Urban Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Bachelor project (paper supervision) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
B.Sc. and M.Sc. thesis supervision at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Master course Empirical Methods for Spatial Policy (tutorials) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Bachelor course Statistical Methods and Techniques (tutorials and paper supervision) at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Guest lectures at the University of Moratuwa, University of Antwerp, Universiteit Utrecht, and the Universiteit Twente.
Hans holds a university teaching qualification (Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs).
Reviewing
Hans has reviewed articles submitted to the Journal of the European Economic Association, Journal of Urban Economics, Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Transportation Research Part B, Journal of Regional Science, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Journal of Housing Economics, Economic Inquiry, Environment and Planning A, Land Use Policy, Urban Studies, Regional Studies, Real Estate Research Quarterly, and the De Economist.
Awards, prizes and grants
2016 – Journal of Economic Geography Best Referee Award.
2016 – Research grant from Academisch Fonds Vastgoedkunde for project “Bricks, Buildings and Boroughs” – with Jan Rouwendal (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
2015 – Van der Knaap Prize for dissertation “The Internal Structure of Cities: The Economics of Agglomeration, Amenities and Accessibility”.
2015 – Urban Land Institute Prize for paper “Is the Sky the Limit? High-rise Buildings and Office Rents”.
2014 – VENI grant from NWO for project “Places, planning, prices and politics: The Welfare Economics of Urban Planning”.
2014 – Runner-up KVS-penning for dissertation “The Internal Structure of Cities: The Economics of Agglomeration, Amenities and Accessibility”.
2014 – August Lösch Prize for dissertation “The Internal Structure of Cities: The Economics of Agglomeration, Amenities and Accessibility”.
2014 – Data-without-boundaries grant (EU funded) for project “Land Use Planning, Agglomeration Economies And The Office Market: Evidence From Blitz Bombings” – with Gerard Dericks (Oxford University)
2013 – Runner-up Junior Societal Impact Award at VU University Amsterdam
2013 – Data-without-boundaries grant (EU funded) for project “Job Mobility And Productivity: Are Job-Hoppers More Productive?” – with Rosa Sanchis-Guarner (LSE)
2012 – LSE STICERD grant for project “The Determinants of Residential Vacancy Rates” – with Paul Cheshire (LSE) and Christian Hilber (LSE)
2011 – Graduate Student-led paper award at NARSC conference in Miami, FL, for paper “Historic Amenities, Income and Sorting of Households”.
2010 – Runner-up SER Thesis Prize for Master thesis titled “The Impact of Mixed Land Use on Residential Property Values”.