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Roads, railroads and decentralization of Chinese cities

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  • Baum-Snow, Nathaniel
  • Brandt, Loren
  • Henderson, J. Vernon
  • Turner, Matthew A.
  • Zhang, Qinghua

Abstract

We investigate how configurations of urban railroads and highways influenced urban form in Chinese cities since 1990. Each radial highway displaces about 4 percent of central city population to surrounding regions and ring roads displace about an additional 20 percent, with stronger effects in the richer coastal and central regions. Each radial railroad reduces central city industrial GDP by about 20 percent, with ring roads displacing an additional 50 percent. Similar estimates for the locations of manufacturing jobs and residential location of manufacturing workers is evidence that radial highways decentralize service sector activity, radial railroads decentralize industrial activity and ring roads decentralize both. Historical transportation infrastructure provides identifying variation in more recent measures of infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Baum-Snow, Nathaniel & Brandt, Loren & Henderson, J. Vernon & Turner, Matthew A. & Zhang, Qinghua, 2017. "Roads, railroads and decentralization of Chinese cities," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 67374, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:67374
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; roads; railroads; infrastructure;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O2 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy
    • R4 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics

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