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Access, land-use policy, agglomeration and spatial dependence in airport-area firm location: evidence from Shanghai Hongqiao

Author

Listed:
  • Zou, Wenqian
  • Qi, Jing
  • Ng, Adolf K.Y.
  • Liu, Shuli
  • Jiang, Yonglei

Abstract

We examine how transport accessibility, land-use policy and spatial dependence shape the location of airport-related enterprises in Shanghai's Changning District. The analysis combines a firm-level multinomial logistic regression of location choice among the airport region, the central activity zone and the left areas with a grid-level negative binomial model that incorporates Moran eigenvector spatial filtering. Explanatory factors include travel times to the airport, to the central activity zone and within the district; land-use capacities and cluster designations; and agglomeration measured by lagged incumbency in the same and other industries. Results show the central activity zone remains the default attractor, but firms in science, software and technical services, especially domestic firms with regional travel needs, are more likely to choose the airport region when hub connectivity dominates central-city proximity. At the micro scale, the spatial-filtering model reveals corridor-linked clusters: business and software incumbency produce asymmetric positive spillovers that raise nearby firm counts along the airport–central belt, while land-use levers amplify these patterns. Policy should position airport economic zones where access to both the hub and the urban core can be balanced, upgrade corridor and circulator links to reduce travel-time frictions, and deploy one-stop cluster services to convert incumbency spillovers into new investment. The two-scale design clarifies “which broad area” versus “where within an area,” providing a decision-oriented basis for implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Zou, Wenqian & Qi, Jing & Ng, Adolf K.Y. & Liu, Shuli & Jiang, Yonglei, 2026. "Access, land-use policy, agglomeration and spatial dependence in airport-area firm location: evidence from Shanghai Hongqiao," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:175:y:2026:i:c:s0967070x25004317
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.103888
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    References listed on IDEAS

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