1993•The Journal of Economic PerspectivesRequires access

The Causes of Metropolitan Suburbanization

Peter M. Mieszkowski, Edwin S. Mills

Open publisher page 793 citations

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the causes of metropolitan suburbanization. We consider two classes of theories of suburbanization, both of which are important: the first, favored by urban theorists and transportation experts, might be called a natural evolution theory; the second stresses the fiscal and social problems of central cities. We sketch the monocentric model of urban areas, discuss the gradient measure of suburbanization, and offer some cross-country comparisons of suburbanization. Finally we present conclusions and policy implications.

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What this paper is about

In this paper, we investigate the causes of metropolitan suburbanization. We consider two classes of theories of suburbanization, both of which are important: the first, favored by urban theorists and transportation experts, might be called a natural evolution theory; the second stresses the fiscal and social problems of central cities. We sketch the monocentric model of urban areas, discuss the gradient measure of suburbanization, and offer some cross-country comparisons of suburbanization. Finally we present conclusions and policy implications.

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Available abstract

In this paper, we investigate the causes of metropolitan suburbanization. We consider two classes of theories of suburbanization, both of which are important: the first, favored by urban theorists and transportation experts, might be called a natural evolution theory; the second stresses the fiscal and social problems of central cities. We sketch the monocentric model of urban areas, discuss the gradient measure of suburbanization, and offer some cross-country comparisons of suburbanization. Finally we present conclusions and policy implications.

Key concepts: Suburbanization, Metropolitan area, Economic geography, Sketch, Geography, Economics, Regional science, Computer science

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