Metropolis and Region

Duncan, Otis Dudley; Scott, William Richard; Lieberson, Stanley; Duncan, Beverly Davis; Winsborough, Hal H.

doi:10.4324/9781315064628

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Similarly, interrelated conceptualisations of hierarchical spatial structures can be found in other fields of research. Most notably, studies on metropolitan dominance (McKenzie, 1933; Duncan et al ., 1960), focused mainly on the structure of corporate networks and administrative hierarchies (see Ross, 1992, for an overview), while studies drawing on graph theory and spatial interaction models—rooted in quantitative planning studies and regional science—have explicitly focused on the structure of the physical transport and communication networks, commuting and migration networks as well as intraregional trade (Isard, 1960; Kansky, 1963; Griffith, 1976).…”

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confidence: 99%

Form Follows Function? Linking Morphological and Functional Polycentricity

Burger¹,

Meijers²

2011

Urban Studies

342

293

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Empirical research establishing the costs and benefits that can be associated with polycentric urban systems is often called for but rather thin on the ground. In part, this is due to the persistence of what appear to be two analytically distinct approaches in understanding and measuring polycentricity: a morphological approach centring on nodal features and a functional approach focused on the relations between centres. Informed by the oft-overlooked but rich heritage of urban systems research, this paper presents a general theoretical framework that links both approaches and discusses the way both can be measured and compared in a coherent manner. Using the Netherlands as a test case, it is demonstrated that most regions tend to be more morphologically polycentric than functionally polycentric. The difference is largely explained by the size, external connectivity and degree of self-sufficiency of a region’s principal centre.

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confidence: 99%

Form Follows Function? Linking Morphological and Functional Polycentricity

Burger¹,

Meijers²

2011

Urban Studies

342

293

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“…An additional advantage of the log-normal function is its ability to describe the pattern of marginal density throughout a major nodal region-i.e. a region based on a large city, sometimes referred to as a 'city-region' (Dickinson, 1947) or 'metropolitan region' (Duncan et. al., 1960).…”

Section: Fundingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Note on the Average Density Function in Urban Analysis

Holden

Parr

2013

Urban Studies

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It is argued that the density function, commonly used in the study of urban spatial structure, is more appropriately described as the ‘marginal density function’. From such a marginal density function, it is possible to derive two types of average density function, each being concerned with a particular aspect of the spatial structure of population. The first type is consistent with the standard approach to the ‘average’ in economic analysis, while the second more completely takes account of the urban context. The two types of average density function are examined for different underlying forms of the marginal density function. Of the two types, the second has a greater applicability than the first in the analysis of urban spatial structure.

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“…Such demand may also be generated by nonlocal businesses in the form of inbound business travel, as clients from other places arrive to obtain services or as entrepreneurs seek new opportunities and locations. Following this historically dominant understanding of the relationship between traffic and employment, Duncan, Scott, Lieberson, Duncan and Winsborough (1960) argued that “air transportation seems to have followed rather than to have re‐shaped regional ties…represent[ing] those activities which were already concentrated on large centers” (p. 259, quoting Taaffe, 1952, p. 157–158). Because the flow generation hypothesis holds that that centrality in the network of cities is an effect rather than a cause, it implies that intercity exchange networks cannot be strategically engineered to promote urban economic growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Causal Relationship between Employment and Business Networks in U.S. Cities

Neal

2011

Journal of Urban Affairs

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Scholars from a range of disciplines have long recognized that a city's economic fortunes are closely tied to its position in networks of interurban exchanges. However, it remains unclear whether cities occupy a central position in the network because they are sites of significant economic activity (i.e., a flow generation hypothesis), or whether they experience greater economic growth because they occupy a central position in the network (i.e., a structural advantage hypothesis). This article tests these complementary hypotheses by examining the total nonfarm employment in, and air travel patterns of business passengers among, 128 U.S. metropolitan areas from 1993 to 2008 using a series of lagged regression models. Results lend support to the structural advantage hypothesis, but not for the flow generation hypothesis: centrality drives employment, but not vice versa. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these results for infrastructurefocused approaches to economic development.Scholars from a range of disciplines have long recognized that a city's economic fortunes are closely tied to its position in networks of interurban exchanges, with cities occupying more central positions experiencing relatively greater growth and stability. This insight has formed the core of several influential theoretical approaches to understanding urban economic development, including central place theory's transportation principle (Christaller, 1966), human ecology's conceptions of metropolitan dominance and interdependence (Bogue, 1949;Hawley, 1950;McKenzie, 1933), and most recently the spaces-of-flows perspective on globalization (Castells, 1996;Friedmann, 1986;Sassen, 1991). However, in each of these cases, conclusions concerning the relationship between a city's centrality in the network and its economic success have been associational rather than causal. It remains unclear whether cities occupy a central position in the network because they are sites of significant economic activity (i.e., a flow generation hypothesis), or whether they experience greater economic growth because they occupy a central position in the network (i.e., a structural advantage hypothesis). Identifying the direction of influence in this relationship has taken on particular significance given a recent focus on infrastructure development as a strategy for employment growth in policies like those favored by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This article seeks, first, to document the spatial restructuring of one intercity network-the business air travel network-that has taken place over the last 15 years. Second and more importantly, it aims to separate cause from effect by separately testing the structural advantage and flow generation hypotheses, thus answering the question: does centrality in the network create more jobs, or do higher levels of employment lead to greater centrality in the network? Specifically, annual air traffic patterns and total nonfarm employment in 128 U.S. metropolitan areas from 1993 to 2008 are ...

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Metropolis and Region

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Form Follows Function? Linking Morphological and Functional Polycentricity

Form Follows Function? Linking Morphological and Functional Polycentricity

A Note on the Average Density Function in Urban Analysis

The Causal Relationship between Employment and Business Networks in U.S. Cities

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