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Efficient Urbanisation: Economic Performance and the Shape of the Metropolis

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  • Robert Cervero

    (Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California at Berkeley, Hearst Field Annex, Building B 1850, Berkeley, California, 94720-1850, USA, robertc@uclink.berkeley.edu.)

Abstract

The influences of urban form and transport infrastructure on economic performance show up in several contemporary policy debates, notably 'sprawl versus compact city' and in the developing world, the future of mega-cities. This paper probes these relationships using two scales of analysis. At the macro scale, an econometric analysis using data across 47 US metropolitan areas reveals that employment densities and urban primacy are positively associated with worker productivity, suggesting the presence of agglomeration economies. Congested freeways are shown to be a consequence of strong economic performance. An intrametropolitan analysis using data on sub-districts of the San Francisco Bay Area generally reinforces the findings of the macro-scale analysis. In the Bay Area, labour productivity appears to increase with size of labour-marketshed and high accessibility between residences and firms. Higher employment density and well-functioning infrastructure also contribute positively to economic performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Cervero, 2001. "Efficient Urbanisation: Economic Performance and the Shape of the Metropolis," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(10), pages 1651-1671, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:38:y:2001:i:10:p:1651-1671
    DOI: 10.1080/00420980120084804
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Haidong Yu & Yong Liu & Juanjuan Zhao & Gen Li, 2019. "Urban Total Factor Productivity: Does Urban Spatial Structure Matter in China?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Stanley, John K., 2014. "Land use/transport integration: Starting at the right place," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 381-388.
    5. Mouratidis, Kostas & Ettema, Dick & Næss, Petter, 2019. "Urban form, travel behavior, and travel satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 306-320.
    6. Motte, Benjamin & Aguilera, Anne & Bonin, Olivier & Nassi, Carlos D., 2016. "Commuting patterns in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. What differences between formal and informal jobs?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 59-69.
    7. Doris A. Behrens & Olivia Koland & Ulrike Leopold-Wildburger, 2018. "Why local air pollution is more than daily peaks: modelling policies in a city in order to avoid premature deaths," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 26(2), pages 265-286, June.
    8. Simon Franklin, 2018. "Location, Search Costs and Youth Unemployment: Experimental Evidence from Transport Subsidies," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(614), pages 2353-2379, September.
    9. Yexuan Gu & Brian Deal & Linda Larsen, 2018. "Geodesign Processes and Ecological Systems Thinking in a Coupled Human-Environment Context: An Integrated Framework for Landscape Architecture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-24, September.
    10. Hachem, Caroline, 2016. "Impact of neighborhood design on energy performance and GHG emissions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 422-434.
    11. Nazari Adli, Saeid & Donovan, Stuart, 2018. "Right to the city: Applying justice tests to public transport investments," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 56-65.
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    14. Sohee Lee & Tsutomu Suzuki, 2016. "A scenario approach to the evaluation of sustainable urban structure for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Seoul," International Journal of Urban Sciences, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 30-48, March.
    15. Keone Kelobonye & Feng Mao & Jianhong (Cecilia) Xia & Mohammad Shahidul Hasan Swapan & Gary McCarney, 2019. "The Impact of Employment Self-Sufficiency Measures on Commuting Time: Case Study of Perth, Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-21, March.

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