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A New Way of Measuring Urban Expansion and Contraction in New Zealand Towns and Cities, 1993-2021

Author

Listed:
  • John Gibson

    (University of Waikato)

  • Geua Boe-Gibson

    (University of Waikato)

  • Frank Scrimgeour

    (University of Waikato)

Abstract

Concerns about uneven regional development have focused attention on the long-run prospects of smaller towns in New Zealand. This paper examines changes in the physical extent of 133 New Zealand towns and cities between 1993 and 2021 using a reconstructed night-time lights dataset, exploiting the fact that urban areas emit light that can be observed from space. The reconstructed series combines the long temporal coverage of early satellite imagery with the spatial precision of modern sensors. A city-growing algorithm allows urban footprints to evolve rather than remaining constrained by administrative definitions. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in urban trajectories. Rapid expansion is concentrated in commuter towns surrounding major cities and amenity-oriented settlements, while some smaller towns experience contraction associated with economic restructuring and changing locational advantages. Regional divergence in New Zealand therefore appears increasingly characterised by differentiated urban trajectories rather than by uniform decline among smaller settlements.

Suggested Citation

  • John Gibson & Geua Boe-Gibson & Frank Scrimgeour, 2026. "A New Way of Measuring Urban Expansion and Contraction in New Zealand Towns and Cities, 1993-2021," Working Papers in Economics 26/04, University of Waikato.
    • Handle: RePEc:wai:econwp:26/04
    as

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    File URL: https://repec.its.waikato.ac.nz/wai/econwp/2604.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Gibson, 2021. "Better Night Lights Data, For Longer," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 83(3), pages 770-791, June.
    2. Arthur Grimes & Eyal Apatov & Larissa Lutchman & Anna Robinson, 2016. "Eighty years of urban development in New Zealand: impacts of economic and natural factors," New Zealand Economic Papers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 303-322, September.
    3. Gibson, John & Boe-Gibson, Geua & Stichbury, Glen, 2015. "Urban land expansion in India 1992–2012," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 100-113.
    4. Gibson, John & Datt, Gaurav & Murgai, Rinku & Ravallion, Martin, 2017. "For India’s Rural Poor, Growing Towns Matter More Than Growing Cities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 413-429.
    5. John Gibson & Susan Olivia & Geua Boe‐Gibson, 2020. "Night Lights In Economics: Sources And Uses," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(5), pages 955-980, December.
    6. John Gibson & Yi Jiang & Xiaoxuan Zhang & Geua Boe-Gibson, 2024. "Are Disaster Impact Estimates Distorted by Errors in Popular Night-Time Lights Data?," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 391-416, November.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access

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