The Causes of Metropolitan Suburbanization
Mieszkowski, P.; Mills, E. S.
Journal of Economic Perspectives 7(3): 135-147
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0895-3309 Document Number: 332254
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.