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Does the Polycentric Urban Region Contribute to Economic Performance? The Case of Korea

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  • Kyusang Kwon

    (Urban Research Division, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, 5 Gukchaekyeonguwon-ro, Sejong 30147, Korea)

  • Minho Seo

    (Urban Research Division, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, 5 Gukchaekyeonguwon-ro, Sejong 30147, Korea)

Abstract

This study aims to explore whether and to what extent two types of polycentricity, morphological and functional, affect the level of urban economic performance. In the analysis, it is found that morphological polycentricity is positively associated with the level of labor productivity whereas functional polycentricity is negatively related to it. In the context of the Korean urban system, characterized by the domination of a few cities and high levels of population density, regions which are more morphologically polycentric and functionally monocentric are likely to have higher labor productivity. These results reflect the processes of agglomeration economies and their impact on urban dynamics. This study contributes to the debates on the impacts of polycentricity on economic performance by examining this relationship in the East Asian context, not in Europe or America, and by distinguishing between effects of two types of polycentricity.

Suggested Citation

  • Kyusang Kwon & Minho Seo, 2018. "Does the Polycentric Urban Region Contribute to Economic Performance? The Case of Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-10, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:11:p:4157-:d:182226
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    1. Yifu Ou & Euijune Kim & Xingjian Liu & Kyung-Min Nam, 2023. "Delineating functional regions from road networks: The case of South Korea," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(6), pages 1677-1694, July.
    2. Bindong Sun & Tinglin Zhang & Wan Li & Yan Song, 2022. "Effects of Polycentricity on Economic Performance and Its Dependence on City Size: The Case of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Shaodong Wang & Yanbin Liu & Wei Zhi & Xihua Wen & Weihua Zhou, 2020. "Discovering Urban Functional Polycentricity: A Traffic Flow-Embedded and Topic Modeling-Based Methodology Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, March.

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