Browsing by Subject "Centralization"

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    The Decline of the Density Gradient is Not a Good Measure of Decentralization
    (Elsevier, 2022-06-17) Ottensmann, John R.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    The decrease in the density gradient estimated assuming the negative exponential decline of density has been used as a measure of the decentralization of the population in urban areas. A definition of urban population decentralization is presented and a measure of centralization is developed. The density gradient and its change are compared with this index of centralization, first in a numerical model and then using data on the distribution of the population in 43 large urban areas in 1970 and 2010. The density gradient is only somewhat related to this index and is not a good measure of decentralization.
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    The Location of Employment in Large Urban Areas, 2002 and 2010
    (Elsevier, 2022-03-01) Ottensmann, John R.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics program are used to study the location of employment in 59 large urban areas. The location of employment in 2010, the relationship to the location of the population, and change from 2002 to 2010 are examined using three measures - the percent of urban area employment within a limited distance from the center, the percent of employment within the older urban core, and an index of centralization measuring the overall distribution of employment taking into account the mean distance jobs are located from the center. For all but 5 of the urban areas, the majority of jobs were not located in the urban core but in the newer suburban periphery. On average only about 20 percent of all employment is located close to the central business district. Perhaps most striking is the very large variation in the measures of employment location across the urban areas.