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Diversity and Specialization in Cities: Why, Where and When Does It Matter?

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  • Duranton, Gilles
  • Puga, Diego

Abstract

Why are some cities specialized and others diversified? What are the advantages and disadvantages of urban specialization and diversity? To what extent does the structure of cities, and the activities of firms and people in them, change over time? How does the sectoral composition of cities influence their evolution? To answer these and related questions, we first distil some key stylised facts from the empirical literature on cities and the composition of their activities. We then turn to a review of different theories looking at such issues, and study the extent to which these theories contribute to the understanding of the empirical regularities.

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  • Duranton, Gilles & Puga, Diego, 1999. "Diversity and Specialization in Cities: Why, Where and When Does It Matter?," CEPR Discussion Papers 2256, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:2256
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cities; Diversity; Specialization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • R30 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - General

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