How would the shape of our cities change if there were a permanent increase in working from home? We study this question using a quantitative model of the Los Angeles metropolitan area featuring local agglomeration externalities and endogenous traffic congestion. We find three important effects: (1) Jobs move to the core of the city, while residents move to the periphery. (2) Traffic congestion eases and travel times drop. (3) Average real estate prices fall, with declines in core locations and increases in the periphery. Workers who are able to switch to telecommuting enjoy large welfare gains by saving commute time and moving to more affordable neighborhoods. Workers who continue to work on-site enjoy modest welfare gains due to lower commute times, improved access to jobs, and the fall in average real estate prices.

如果在家中工作的人数持续增加，我们城市的形态将如何变化？我们使用具有本地集聚外部性和内生交通拥堵的洛杉矶大都市区定量模型研究此问题。我们发现三个重要影响：（1）工作转移到城市的中心，而居民转移到城市的外围。（2）交通拥堵缓解，出行时间减少。（3）房地产平均价格下降，核心地区下降，外围地区上升。能够改用远程办公的工人可以节省通勤时间并迁移到价格更可承受的社区，从而从中受益匪浅。由于缩短了通勤时间，增加了工作机会以及平均房地产价格下降，继续在现场工作的工人享受的福利很少。