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Urban spatial structure and economic growth in Spanish metropolitan areas

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  • Emili Tortosa-Ausina
  • Luisa Alamá
  • Ana M Fuertes-Eugenio
  • Marta Roig-Casanova

Abstract

There is a large literature on the existence of agglomeration economies, as shown in the surveys by Moomaw (1983) or Gerking (1993). The benefits of these economies arise from multiple sources, but some negative externalities might also emerge. Within the hierarchical urban system, cities at different ranks (different size) take on different economic functions with variant 'efficient sizes' (Capello and Camagni, 2000) and, indeed, the distributions of cities' relative size have been stable in many countries (Black and Henderson, 1999; Eaton and Eckstein, 1997; Nitsch, 2005) and, in many cases they obey the Zipf's law (Gabaix, 1999). If a city is able to adjust its spatial structure to offset the negative exter- nalities due to its size, it will be able to keep growing. If that is not possible, it might be more convenient to transit from a monocentric to a polycentric structure, which is usually considered as a possible strategy to eliminate diseconomies in urban economics (Sasaki and Mun, 1996; Fujita et al., 1997). However, there is little empirical evidence on the links between urban spatial structure and growth---which are usually understood within the context of urban evolution. One notable exception is the study by Cervero (2001), where it is argued that more compact, centralized and accessible cities are usually associated with higher productivity levels. In this context, this paper explores the links between urban spatial structure and economic growth in metropolitan areas in Spain, where this type of analysis is virtually non-existent. However, it is a relevant policy issue due to a variety of reasons such as the increased urban sprawl and the different costs it brings about. The analysis will also enable to evaluate if there is any particular type of urban spatial structure which prevails on the grounds of its superior efficiency, together with evaluating if an efficient urban spatial structure hinges on the size and other attributes specific to each particular metropolitan area.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by European Regional Science Association in its series ERSA conference papers with number ersa11p1703.

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Date of creation: Sep 2011
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Handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa11p1703

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References

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  1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-37, October.
  2. Gilles Duranton & Diego Puga, 2001. "Nursery Cities: Urban Diversity, Process Innovation, and the Life Cycle of Products," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1454-1477, December.
  3. Richard Arnott & Alex Anas & Kenneth Small, 1997. "Urban Spatial Structure," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 388., Boston College Department of Economics.
  4. Gerking, S.D., 1993. "Measuring productivity growth in U.S. regions: A survey," Open Access publications from Tilburg University urn:nbn:nl:ui:12-4742869, Tilburg University.
  5. Nitsch, Volker, 2005. "Zipf Zipped," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute of Economics (VWL) 34471, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute of Economics (VWL).
  6. repec:sae:urbstu:v:47:y:2010:i:14:p:3035-3056 is not listed on IDEAS
  7. FUJITA, Masahisa & THISSE, Jacques-François & ZENOU, Yves, 1995. "On the Endogenous Formation of Secondary Employment Centers in a City," CORE Discussion Papers 1995063, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
  8. Xavier Gabaix, 1999. "Zipf'S Law For Cities: An Explanation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 114(3), pages 739-767, August.
  9. Julie Gallo & Coro Chasco, 2008. "Spatial analysis of urban growth in Spain, 1900–2001," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 59-80, February.
  10. Small Kenneth A. & Song Shunfeng, 1994. "Population and Employment Densities: Structure and Change," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 292-313, November.
  11. Wheaton, William C., 2004. "Commuting, congestion, and employment dispersal in cities with mixed land use," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 417-438, May.
  12. Small, Kenneth A. & Song, Shunfeng, 1994. "Population and Employment Densities: Structure and Change," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt6nk5v6b4, University of California Transportation Center.
  13. Paolo Veneri, 2010. "Urban Polycentricity and the Costs of Commuting: Evidence from Italian Metropolitan Areas," Growth and Change, Gatton College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky, vol. 41(3), pages 403-429.
  14. Vernon Henderson & Duncan Black, 1999. "Spatial Evolution of Population and Industry in the United States," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 321-327, May.
  15. Sasaki, Komei & Mun, Se-il, 1996. "A Dynamic Analysis of Multiple-Center Formation in a City," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 257-278, November.
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