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Urban Spatial Structure in OECD Cities: is Urban Population Decentralising or Clustering?

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  • Paolo Veneri

    (OECD)

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of urban spatial structure and its trends in the OECD between 2001 and 2011. It does so by using a standardised definition of urban areas in 29 OECD countries as composed of high density cores and their respective commuting zones. While urban population is growing everywhere, the way in which populations locate throughout the urban space differs across OECD cities and countries. The prevalent trend is an increasing dispersion of the population, with growth taking place outside existing centres. However, in specific countries, there are cities experiencing a higher growth in their central cores, while others are strengthening their polycentric structures. Overall, the population has grown more in relatively low-density locations close to the main centre, but outside it. Closeness to sub-centres also proves to be a strong advantage for growth and suggests the emergence of new centralities shaping urban spatial structures.

Suggested Citation

  • Paolo Veneri, 2015. "Urban Spatial Structure in OECD Cities: is Urban Population Decentralising or Clustering?," OECD Regional Development Working Papers 2015/1, OECD Publishing.
  • Handle: RePEc:oec:govaab:2015/1-en
    DOI: 10.1787/5js3d834r3q7-en
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    Cited by:

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    2. Marcos Díaz Ramírez & Paolo Veneri & Alexander C. Lembcke, 2022. "Where did it hit harder? Understanding the geography of excess mortality during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(3), pages 889-908, June.
    3. David Castells‐Quintana & Vicente Royuela & Paolo Veneri, 2020. "Inequality and city size: An analysis for OECD functional urban areas," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 99(4), pages 1045-1064, August.
    4. Paolo Veneri & Andre Comandon & Miquel‐Àngel Garcia‐López & Michiel N. Daams, 2021. "What do divided cities have in common? An international comparison of income segregation," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(1), pages 162-188, January.
    5. Roberto Ganau & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2022. "Does urban concentration matter for changes in country economic performance?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(6), pages 1275-1299, May.
    6. L. B. Karachurina & N. V. Mkrtchyan & A. N. Petrosian, 2022. "Migration and Housing Construction in the Regional Capitals of Russia and Their Suburbs," Regional Research of Russia, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 283-298, September.
    7. Zhen Li & Wanmin Zhao & Miaoyao Nie, 2021. "Scale Characteristics and Optimization of Park Green Space in Megacities Based on the Fractal Measurement Model: A Case Study of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-18, July.
    8. Fabio Borghetti & Cristian Giovanni Colombo & Michela Longo & Renato Mazzoncini & Leonardo Cesarini & Luigi Contestabile & Claudio Somaschini, 2021. "15-Min Station: A Case Study in North Italy City to Evaluate the Livability of an Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.
    9. Angelika Münter & Kati Volgmann, 2021. "Polycentric regions: Proposals for a new typology and terminology," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(4), pages 677-695, March.
    10. Moreno-Monroy, Ana I. & Schiavina, Marcello & Veneri, Paolo, 2021. "Metropolitan areas in the world. Delineation and population trends," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    11. Feilong Hao & Ming Lu & Tingting Yu & Shijun Wang, 2024. "Identification and characterization of urban polycentric structure based on points of interest in Shenyang, China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    polycentricity; sprawl; suburbanization; Urban spatial structure;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns

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